Never Alone
by Ainat
Summary: She was in an abusive relationship. Could someone save her?
1. Pretense

**A/N:** I'm not sure about this story - I'm not sure why I'm publishing it -, but the idea has been on my mind for a while and I decided to give it an opportunity. I'm not happy with my writing lately, but hopefully you won't think it's bad as I think it's. Enjoy the first chapter of my newest story and first from 2012. This story is set in 2005. As always, I'm sorry for the spelling and grammar mistakes. English isn't my first language.

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><p><strong>Never Alone<strong>

_Chapter One -_ Pretense

Her gloomy hazel eyes stared at her own image reflected by the large bathroom mirror. The blonde woman almost couldn't recognize herself. The woman in the mirror couldn't be her.

Stacy Keibler wrapped her delicate and trembling fingers around the black eyeliner placed on top of the bathroom counter. The bruises left on her right wrist were fading away - luckily it had been broken as she initially thought - and it didn't hurt her anymore when someone touched her there. However, the emotional bruises were still inflicting her pain.

In a dark dress with sleeves, Stacy made sure no bruises could be seen and her appearance was praiseworthy. He ordered her to always look pretty - suspicious couldn't be raised - and she didn't make intentions of disobeying his commands. As much as she didn't feel pretty anymore - he had taken it from her -, she would do it for him. She didn't desire to irate him.

The pink lip-gloss touched her plump lips. Not too long ago the soft lips were swollen. The flavor of the blood running from the open lip still haunted her. When it happened and his attacks became visible, he stopped hurting her for a couple of days. However, as soon as the lip healed and everyone believed the lie Stacy made up, he started all over again.

What had she done to deserve this man? What had she done to be hurt by this cruel man? Four months had spent since her personal inferno begun and Stacy was clueless of how make it come to an end.

It all started out of nowhere, his vicious behavior towards her. One day they were happily together, a blissful couple, and the next day he was verbally abusing her. It didn't take too long until he started physically assaulting her. Stacy closed her eyes trying to shun the thoughts of a certain night. She didn't have force to remember it.

The Diva wasn't stupid in love to stay in this abusive relationship. She did try to put an end to their relationship, but his threats locked her in a World of misery. Nothing could be done by her to free herself from him.

Stacy wondered the reason she hadn't seen sooner the man he truly was. Perhaps he showed some traces of his true nature before, but she hadn't seen them. Love made her blind - she saw what she wanted - and now she was suffering the consequences of her blindness. If she had only seen it earlier…

For how much longer would she handle it? Stacy's strength was fading away and she had become an emotional wreck. A single tear fell from her eyes. Quickly she wiped it without smudging her makeup. He couldn't see her crying. If he saw her crying things would get worse for her – worse than them already were.

The tall woman inhaled a deep breath. A smile flourished in her lips. It was a pretty smile, but fake. Optimistically, her boyfriend wouldn't notice the fakeness of it and would let her go without any punishment. After taking a look at her image - the dark circles under her eyes were perfectly hidden by the flawless makeup -, Stacy abandoned the bathroom.

His voice echoed through the bedroom when Stacy left the bathroom. The room was dark. Nonetheless, she found him staring at her on the middle of the bedroom. His eyes met her and the intensity of his glance horrified the young blonde woman.

- Where are you going? – He queried making a chill to run through Stacy's spine. He was using the tone; the tone of voice that warned her that nothing good was about to happen.

- I'm going out with some friends - Stacy replied without feeling secure of her answer. His rage could arouse at any second and she would be its victim. Things wouldn't look good for her if it happened and the tall blonde was very aware of it. She had gone through it so many times before now.

- Why didn't you tell me earlier? - He walked to her until he was so close that she could feel his warm breathing against her skin.

Stacy did not flinch. The blonde tried to show she wasn't scared by him, which was big lie. Nevertheless, her body language told another story - a different one. She was terrified with the hypothesis of what he would do to her. She didn't need to be an Einstein to know what was approaching.

The time to respond to him came to an end when he grabbed a fist of her blonde hair. The pain was unbearable, but Stacy bit her bottom lip not to scream and not to cry. The memories of the times she cried and yelled were still fresh in her mind. Her weakness put him furious and he beat her until she couldn't feel her limbs anymore.

- I told you that I don't want you to go out without me. Did your pretty blonde head forget it?

- If I had told them "no", they would think something is wrong - Stacy told him, trying to reach for his hands to make him stop - she was never able to prevent him from hurting her. The WWE Diva was used to be hit by him. Nonetheless, she would never get used to the pain.

- And is there something wrong? - His words were like poison.

- No - Stacy whispered without being able to control her tears anymore. They fell from her eyes, marking her cheeks. Unfortunately, the water trace wasn't unnoticed by the predator she once fell in love with.

With strength he threw her against the wall. The back of her head knocked against the barrier made of marble. For a moment her vision was a blur.

He turned his back at her and walked to the bed.

- You will call your friends - I wonder who wants to be friend with someone pathetic as you - and you will tell them you can't go out tonight. Your lovely boyfriend is taking you to dinner. - He took from her purse her cell phone. How many lies had he already obligated her to tell her friends? To her family?

With her vision returning to the normal, but with a huge headache, Stacy realized she was close of the main door. It would be easy to escape from him. Of course, next day he would be angrier at her, but today she could run away and to save herself from his claws. The atrocious pain could wait for tomorrow. Tonight it would be different. Tonight he wouldn't touch her again.

Slowly, the abused woman rose up to her feet. If she had done it quickly, she sensed she would have passed out. Her head had never hurt her as much as at that moment.

The right hand grabbed the door-knob and turned it around. The almost inaudible latch was heard by Stacy. He had only now turned around and became aware of what she was doing. Stacy didn't wait for him to approach from her. Another second wouldn't be wasted inside the bedroom waiting for him to mistreat her. Opening the door, she stepped out of the bedroom without think twice, without taking another look at the man inside it.

Feeling dizzy and her head throbbing, the blonde made her way through the hall.

He wouldn't come after her. To keep the fellness inside him and the violence against her a secret from his friends and everyone who knew him, he wouldn't come after her. If he was seeing dragging her back to their bedroom, his secret would be exposed. Everyone would have knowledge of the man he was. She would be saved if it happened, but he had always been so careful. No one would ever believe her if she revealed what he was doing to her. They would need to see it with their own his to believe a nice man as him would spank his girlfriend ruthlessly.

When she entered inside the elevator, her eyes closed. Leaning against the metallic walls, Stacy felt her body collapsing. The door closed. If she had energy inside her body, she would smile in sign of victory. She had triumphed. She was secure…for tonight. But to where would she go?

Stacy couldn't meet her friends and ask to spend the night in one of their rooms. It would be easy for them to realize something was wrong with her and the blonde didn't want to drag them to her relationship. He promised he would hurt them if she ever told what happened inside the four walls they called bedroom. His threats weren't in vain and Stacy would never wish her friends the same pain she was going through.

Perhaps she could rent a bedroom on a motel far away from this - from him. A night of peaceful sleep would be a miracle. When was the last time she had one? However, her purse was left back in the bedroom, the place where he was waiting for her.

More tears ran from her watery eyes. She didn't have anywhere to go. Her escape had been precipitated. She couldn't return to him. One night away from his hands was all she asked for. Was it an impossible wish?

The elevator stopped and its doors were opened to receive a new passenger. Stacy knew she needed to move because no one could see her fragile - rumors would be spread and when he listened to them, she was a death woman. Nonetheless, she couldn't find energy to be back to her feet. Her love-caring boyfriend had wasted her strength and the little that lasted had been used to run away.

Someone touched her shoulder, but she didn't respond. She just wanted to fall asleep and to discover everything she was going through was a nightmare. Her head kept throbbing and no solution was found by her not to return to her bedroom, to him. This needed to be a nightmare!

- Are you okay? - A voice spoke in a whisper - at least for her it was a murmur. Stacy almost couldn't distinguish the words and the voice was unknown.

The blonde didn't answer and nor she opened her eyes to see who was paying attention to her. She wasn't okay and she wouldn't be okay until her relationship came to an end; until he decided to let her go.

Stacy felt herself falling asleep…or at least she thought she was falling asleep. The agonizing headache was pulling Stacy from reality. It was making her welcome a place where he couldn't hurt her: in her sleep; in her dreams.

The consequences of falling asleep were dangerous. What if she had a concussion? She didn't care about it. The death could be the only way out of her despair. She simply wanted to close her eyes and to rest, to run away from the pain he inflicted her.


	2. Run Away

**A/N:** Thank you to **xBeautyinNegativeSpaces**, **ChainGangHottieWithKillerLegs**, **my time is now**, **Cena's baby doll**, **paula** and **therealchamps** for the amazing reviews. It's a great start for this story - at least, I think it is. Also, thank you to everyone who read the first chapter - so many hits and visitors! I hope you enjoy this new chapter.

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><p><strong>Never Alone<strong>

_Chapter Two -_ Run Away

Slowly opening her eyelids, Stacy's first realization was that the agonizing headache had come to an end. It still throbbed a bit when she did a brusque move while moving her head, but gratefully the pain wasn't piercing her mind as it did the previous night.

Still lying on top of a comfortable mattress and covered by the silky sheets, her fingers ran through the back of her head bit by bit and noticed a bump. The swelling was near the nape and identified the local where her head hit the wall.

Unfortunately, the bump wasn't small as she was hoping it to be, but at least her long blonde hair would hide it from the other people's eyes. It was one less mark of her boyfriend's disgusting actions against her to worry about.

Stacy's lips coiled into a petite and innocent smile when she understood it was morning. It was her second realization after welcoming a brand new day.

When was the very last time she had a full night of sleep? It had been too long ago since it happened that she had almost forgotten how her rested body felt.

When her personal hell begun, Stacy didn't feel safe to fall asleep first than the man lied at her side. When the moment to close her eyes finally arrived, the sleep would only appear hours later and when it took over her body, she habitually found herself tangled on a spiral of nightmares. Not even in her dreams she escaped from his hands.

However, her sleep was haunted too by something else; by something she didn't dare to think about or to speak out loud - if she ever did it, it would become real. This shadow never left her due to the terror infiltrated in her body. She feared it would occur once again. And again. Over and over again. The smile vanished when her mind sharply revived second by second of those moments.

The blonde woman sat upright on the bed and glimpsed the environment surrounding her. It was a hotel bedroom. By the sunbeams lighting the space she could tell it was early.

Only then it hit her she had no clue where she had spent the night. To whom belonged this room? How did she get here? Her last memory was being trapped in the elevator without knowing how to act.

As strange as it may sound, the bedroom was recognizable, but at the same time unfamiliar. It was equal to all the bedrooms in the hotel that the WWE crew was staying, but it didn't belong to any of her friends - one bed occupied the space and usually the Divas shared the bedrooms between them - and it was far from being her own bedroom, the bedroom she was obligated to split with him. Not only she didn't see her bags placed on the floor, but if he had discovered her last night, she wouldn't have had a serene night of sleep as she did.

Wherever she was, he wasn't around - lately, he was constantly near; he didn't give her a second to herself, to be alone - and it made Stacy feel relieved. For a moment she was free from his oppressive claws.

Stacy was glad for having time. The blonde Diva needed time to win courage before facing him. It was acknowledged by her what he had reserved for her when they met again, so she knew she needed to prepare herself mentally and physically to the abusive pain he would cause to her body.

Ambushed in dark thoughts, Stacy didn't hear someone approaching. One of the curtains was opened up, catching the blonde off guard.

- Good morning. - Stacy recognized the voice. It was the same voice from the previous night; the voice in the elevator.

The man who spoke had been waiting for the blonde to wake up. He couldn't leave her alone in his own bedroom without letting her know what happened first.

Her eyes met the person who spoke. It wasn't a strange as she hoped to be. Unluckily, this man worked on the same company as she and her boyfriend. Also, she could swear John Cena was friends with the guy that was making her life a living hell, but she wasn't certain if it was his name she once listened to him saying he would meet.

When he obligated her to stay inside their bedroom while he went out, he would never tell her who he would be meeting and she never dared to ask. He didn't need to give her explanations, but she had to tell him everything. If she venture to hide something - it didn't matter what it was -, he would teach her a lesson for having secrets to him.

- You better to take this. - Stacy sent him a suspicious glance when he handed her the glass of water and two white pills. The look wasn't unnoticed by the man. - These are aspirins for the nasty bump on the back of your head.

It was June and the weather was warm, but Stacy froze. The prior night she lowered her guards. She should have been more cautious. If he had seen the bump, what more could have he seen?

What if he took her to a hospital when she passed out? The doctors would comprehend she was a victim of domestic abuses while examining her. Her secret couldn't be exposed. She didn't feel like imagining how badly he would hurt her if the secret was revealed.

The makeup did an excellent job hiding the bruises and the dark circles under her eyes from her friends and everyone else that watched her on a daily basis. But it wasn't enough. Under the dress she was hiding a bruise of the size of a hand - of his hand. It covered her belly and it was far from being cured. It still had a yellow-purple color and some blood vessels were visible. When she woke up the day after he beat her, she thought she had an internal bleeding, but she couldn't go to a doctor to soothe her dugouts. He would kill her if she did it.

- I'm not trying to poison you - John assured without understand her reluctance. The blonde Diva hadn't taken the pills yet.

She wrapped her fingers around the glass of water and picked up the pills from his hand without touching him in the process. She only took one of the pills and a prolonged gulp of water. The other pill was placed on top of the bedside table along with the empty glass. Until that moment she hadn't realized how thirsty she was.

- I have to go. - The words flew from Stacy's mouth without minding if she was being rude to John, who has been nothing but kind and helped her, and it seemed he still was helping her, when she was vulnerable. As nicer as he was being, she couldn't forget he was friends with her boyfriend and perhaps he wouldn't hesitate to tell him the occurrences - starting from the principle John knew who she was dating.

Her last desire was to leave to his encounter, but Stacy couldn't stay where she was now. Not after John seeing the bump in her head. Question would arise and she didn't have responses to offer.

- Don't you want to know what happened last night? - John queried and saw her pulling away from her body the sheets. It was clear as crystal she wanted to leave in a second and not to listen to explanations.

- Not really.

What she didn't know wouldn't trouble her. He couldn't harm her for not having knowledge of something that happened when she was dizzy and with a major ache in her head provoked by him. If he hadn't hurt her as he did - if didn't hurt her as he always did -, she would be in possession of all her mental faculties and wouldn't have slipped.

The blonde bent over to search for her shoes, but then she remembered she had left the bedroom barefoot. The last night, her only contemplation was to break away. Nothing else mattered given that she got free of him.

- I'm going to tell you anyway - he replied. - I found you inside the elevator last night. You ended up passing out - I assume that it must have been because of the bump in your head - and I brought you to my bedroom because you couldn't tell me which one was yours. I would have called someone who you know, but you didn't have a cell phone.

Of course, John didn't tell she was semi-conscious when they reached the bedroom and mumbled no-sense words. The breath of alcohol wasn't existent, but he was close to believe she had a few more drinks - or took something illegal - the previous night than she should.

- Thank you for helping me. - She truly was thankful for what he did for her. She was sounding ungrateful only because she needed to escape and to return to her hell. - But let's forget it happened. I must go.

If she was seen leaving this bedroom, he would know. And he would think she…Stacy swallowed. She shouldn't have run away from him. She should have left herself on his hands and to let him do whatever he wished with her. Didn't she always let him do it what he desired? It wouldn't be worse than what he would be doing to her when it was known where she had spent her night: in another man's bedroom.

Lost in her worries, Stacy didn't understand John was holding her on his arms. When trying to move, to give the first step, she lost her balance and he rushed to grab her. An excruciating pain struck her head. The last events were affecting her and it was like she couldn't walk away without falling. The dizziness was back.

John aided her to sit on the bed. With her eyes close, Stacy didn't face him while he assisted her. How could she leave by herself if she didn't have strength to stay on her feet?

- You don't seem able to go anywhere by your own feet. - It would be a lot easier for him if she was willing to accept his help. He was running off late, but it didn't feel right to leave this woman in this condition. - Do you want me to call someone? Do you want me to take you to a doctor?

In a second, her eyes were wide open and narrowed him. The hazel orbits gave him the answers he was looking for. No, she didn't want him to make any call. He couldn't contact anyone to pick her up. And no, he couldn't take her to a hospital.

John's suspicions were raised once again about what led her to this state. Possibly she didn't want to be seen by a doctor with apprehension of being discovered she may have taken something that would put her job at risk.

- I don't want to abuse of your hospitality - Stacy's eyes turned to the empty glass -, but can you get me another glass of water?

When John disappeared into the bathroom, Stacy tried to rise up again. He wouldn't take long to fill the glass; she had to hurry up. This time the blonde woman was more careful and reached the walls to help her stay on her feet.

To walk could kill her - it was an exaggerated observation, but to stroll was painful. Nevertheless, the death was better than what he would do to her when figured out how the last night turned out for her.

Step-by-step, Stacy finally left the bedroom and got ready to face him. The devil's personification would be so irate. After dealing with him, Stacy believed she wouldn't be able to move for many and many hours.

When John returned to the room, he didn't catch a glimpse of the blonde in distress, but he heard the front door slamming. He moved to go after her. However his pace was stopped by his cell phone ringing.

The WWE superstar took a look at the identification. By now, he was more than overdue to his meeting. He grabbed the cell phone and answered the call.

- Sorry, I overslept - John lied. What happened that morning would be kept a secret until he had a better idea of what was that. - I'll be there in a minute.


	3. The Devil

**A/N:** Thank you to **ChainGangHottieWithKillerLegs**,** therealchamps**, **my time is now**, **animalsavior** and **Cena's baby doll** for reviewing the previous chapter. You too nice with your words. It really has been a while since I updates a story as quickly as I'm updating this one - I hope I don't jinx it! Enjoy the next chapter and please tell me what you think about my writing/English because I really want to know. Thank you.

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><p><strong>Never Alone<strong>

_Chapter Three -_ The Devil

The three days that followed her messy escape from his grip were unbearable. Stacy found herself fighting to survive to his punishment.

When the blonde woman reached their bedroom that morning and knocked at the door, he didn't answer. It was a relief to know he wasn't around. It meant she still had more time to prepare herself for the confrontation.

The WWE Diva convinced the hotel maid to open the door by telling that she had forgotten her key inside the room. After showing the key, which had been left inside her purse, Stacy was left alone by the maid.

His absence gave Stacy time to pick her belongings - she was surprised by not having a single missed call from her friends; at the end of the day, she had failed their encounter - and to change clothes. Praying not to find him at the lobby, the tall blonde made her way to the elevators. She spent the day away from everyone who knew her. She spent it alone, sauntering around without knowing where to go. The management would be angry at her for missing a house show, but they were the last of her concerns. Her boyfriend frightened her more than losing her job.

That night when Stacy arrived at the bedroom, he was there. To her surprise, he didn't do anything against her; he didn't touch a single string of her hair. He simply stared at her and then walked away, slamming the door behind him. His eyes warned her not to go anywhere. Following his unspoken orders, Stacy waited for his return - for what the future reserved for her.

When she closed her eyes to fall asleep hours later, her body was numb; it was sore. She couldn't feel her limbs. He had beaten senselessly with his belt. The buckled crashed against her back too many times. She tried to count how many times he whipped her, but ended up losing the count because of the shattering pain. It was the first time he ever hit her with a belt.

The next morning, Stacy waited for him to leave before getting up. Looking at her naked body at the mirror, she greeted new bruises and scratches all over her back. Her eyes were watery, but she refused to let a single tear to fall. He didn't beat her that day. With bags to make and a flight to catch, spanking her should be the last of his thoughts, especially when the last thrashing left so many scars all over her back.

The third day was her day off. How she wished to go home and to be alone. She hadn't gone home for a while now. He didn't let her go. On her day off, she would travel with him to the town - to the state - where he had signings to do or house shows. Stacy didn't do it for loving him nor did she do it for dedication to her job - as she knew that most of the people thought. She did it because she was obligated to do; he made her do it against her will.

That night he hurt her again. He hurt her in the worst way possible he could. She couldn't refuse his touch, she couldn't scream out loud "no". The next morning, she woke up hating herself for letting him do it; for not stopping him. It made her feel so dirty - it always did.

Now, there she was standing backstage, near the catering area, waiting for another Raw show to come to end and then to go to a hotel bedroom where she would be trapped. Perhaps he would want to go out and she could spend a few moments with people who would never hurt her.

Stacy wanted to put an end to her misery. However, she didn't know how to do it. She tried to put an end to the overwhelming relationship, but he didn't accept. He threatened her: if she ever walked away, he would hurt the people she cared about; he would haunt her until the days of her life; he would make sure she wouldn't have a moment of rest in her life, always looking over her shoulder. The blonde had knowledge of what he was capable of and his menaces weren't vain.

A raven haired woman made her way to Stacy's side. The younger woman made sure her lips coiled into a welcoming smile. She couldn't let anyone to suspect about what it was happening in her life. If she dragged someone to the middle of this confusion, Stacy would never forgive herself. No one would be hurt because of her.

- Where have you been? - The raven haired asked. However, Lisa, who was known by the WWE fans by Vitoria, didn't give Stacy an opportunity to answer. - You could have called advising that you had other plans. I felt worried when you didn't show up.

The taller woman wished she had showed up. She planned to show up, but he ruined it for her as he always did.

- I'm sorry. - She hadn't spoken with anyone since leaving John's bedroom three days ago. Dealing with her boyfriend was enough for her. Her mind didn't have force to make up lies. It wasn't easy to lie every single day of her life.

- At least, your shining armor knight answered my call and told me you went to dinner together and as you drank a little bit too much you wouldn't be able to meet us.

- Now, I know why I had such a huge headache the morning after our night out. - The sarcasm was preached all over her voice. Not only he was ruining her physically and mentally, but he was ruining her friendships and reputation.

What did she do to deserve this man? What did she do to deserve to be thrown into this spiral of misery and pain? If a way out of this hell wasn't found any time soon, she didn't know if she would survive any longer.

- Are you okay? - Lisa queried feeling worried. The answer given by the blonde…well, it was far away from being something that would come out of her mouth. Sarcasm and Stacy Keibler didn't mix.

- Yes, I'm fine. - One day Stacy would end up believing she was okay and that day, perhaps, everything would be better for her. If she believed her own lies than the pain he inflicted wouldn't affect her anymore. It would go away.

- I have to get ready for my match, but if you need me I'm in the locker room.

When Lisa departed from her side, Stacy felt calmed; she relaxed. No more lies would be told today. Nevertheless, she sensed Lisa may have not believed her words one hundred percent. It wasn't simple to persuade someone to believe she is fine if her skin looks very pale - she looked whiter than the snow - and the dark circles under the eyes prevail over the makeup.

Turning her back, Stacy leaned her eyes on the food. She hadn't eaten since the lunchtime and surprising enough she wasn't feeling hungry. It seemed her body already was accustomed to what he did to her and knew that if she ate after he was finished with her she would throw her guts out. The thought of eating made the blonde to feel nauseous.

Someone gently touched her shoulder. It could only be Lisa again. Or maybe it was Trish. Stacy took a deep and relaxing breath and then spoke:

- Please, you can go. I swear: I'm fine. There is nothing wrong.

- It's nice for you to answer my question without me actually making the question.

The voice definitely didn't belong to Lisa or Trish. Stacy twisted her body and saw John Cena standing behind her. The scary glance she sent him when woke up in his bed some days ago was the same glance she was sending in his direction right now.

- What are you doing here? - Stacy stammered astonished by his presence. Her eyes fathomed the space to be sure no one was paying them attention.

He wouldn't mind hearing she had a quickly conversation with one of her friends - suspicions couldn't be raised over her. But being seen speaking with another man? He was possessive and he would harm her because of it. Stacy only spoke with people he allowed her and she was certain he would never approve an exchange of words between her and John.

- I think it's more important to know why you fooled me than the reason I'm here. But if you really want to know, from now on I'll be travelling with this roster.

Her concerns towards him and the possibility of her boyfriend finding about the night she ran away were decreased when she remembered John didn't travel with them. Perhaps he would never hear about it. However, all those worries hit her once again. With this man around the truth could come to the surface.

- Hey, John.

It couldn't be him! Stacy had to control herself when she listened to his voice. Her body couldn't tremble in fear and a fake smile needed to be glued to her features. She was happily in love with this man and no one could think the otherwise.

When he finally reached her side, he placed one hand over her shoulder. The strength couldn't fail her now. Stacy stared at him with a huge smile covering her face, hiding the truth of their relationship.

- So, it seems I finally find out who the lovely woman you are always talking about is - John spoke and his set of words broke the silence. - You could have told me I knew her.

Stacy was caught off guard by the word "lovely". The blonde was sure it had been a long time since her boyfriend used the word "lovely" to describe her. It had spent months since he had a nice gesture towards her, so when he told John about her it must have been in the beginning of their relationship.

- I didn't have a clue that you and Stacy knew each other. - His hand grip on her shoulder became painful. It wasn't a softly touch anymore. He was squeezing her shoulder with more strength.

Stacy wanted to cry - her shoulder was still bruised after the thrashing he gave her with the belt -, but she couldn't do it. The consequences of crying would be devastating to her weak body.

- Yes, we already met…

Stacy stopped breathing and her heart wanted to jump out of her chest. Her wide open eyes were imploring John not to tell the truth. He couldn't tell her boyfriend what happened; how he found her at the elevator. If this man discovered she let her guards down and spent the night in John's bedroom, he would murder her.

- It was a long time ago when we first met. It was in the beginning of my career. We both travelled with the SmackDown roster.

A huge weight was taken off the blonde's chest. She scarcely remembered they had been presented years ago, but he did and his answer was her salvation. Stacy wanted to thank John, but with the devil right beside her she couldn't do it. His response saved her skin. She couldn't ruin it now.

- Well, we have to go. I'm sorry for making you wait, Stace. - His light eyes connected with her hazel eyes for a brief second. Quickly he looked at John once again. - You better to try not to be late for our workout session tomorrow. I want to start it soon and not as late as we started it the last time.

- You don't have to worry. I'll be there, Randy.

Who would believe Randy Orton is the devil on Earth? He deceived Stacy, who thought he was a good guy and fell for him. He was tricking everyone by looking a thoughtful boyfriend when behind closed doors he aggressively beat his girlfriend without worrying about the damages he inflicted.

Without taking his hand from Stacy's shoulder, Randy dragged her out of the catering zone; out of John's gaze. No words were exchanged between the couple. However, by his touch Stacy was aware that she had tons of explanations to give him and nothing good was expecting her.

John stayed behind, watching Stacy and Randy leaving. There was something wrong with the blonde woman. A voice inside his head whispered him not to try to realize what it was; he had nothing to do with her, with her life. But for some odd reason, he felt like ignoring the voice and to get in the middle of her life; of Randy's life.


	4. A Thin Line

**A/N: **Thank you **Cena's baby doll**, **therealchamps**, **my time is now** and **ChainGangHottieWithKillerLegs** for the lovely reviews. I'm loving writing this story and I'm glad to know you enjoy it too. Enjoy the new chapter and I'm sorry for the spelling and grammar mistakes - as you know English isn't my first language.

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><p><strong>Never Alone<strong>

_Chapter Four -_ A Thin Line

How could she be far away from him, yet it felt he was right beside her? Stacy couldn't explain the overwhelming feeling. All she knew was that Randy's presence would always haunt her. He was part of her. He owned her.

Her hazel eyes stared at the outside by the kitchen's window. How could the stunning backyard make her feel so depressed? The Baltimore native had the vague reminiscence of being free and fathoming the exterior brought back those cheerful memories.

- That scarf is very pretty. - Torrie Wilson's voice brought Stacy back to reality. The taller woman didn't know if it was better for her to continue drifting in her thoughts or to return to the agonizing truth.

Stacy placed on the chopping board the knife that her hands were holding and then she glanced over her shoulder at her best friend. It was hard to stare at the honey blonde in the eyes when everything that came out of her mouth were lies.

- Thank you. I found it in the bottom of my bag a couple of days ago. I didn't remember I had bought it. - A beam flourished in Stacy's lips. However, the pretty purple scarf didn't have anything of pretty as Torrie stated. It was covering another wound he did to her.

A chill ran thought Stacy's spine - it seemed it always happened when the memories of his beatings flashed in her mind. Every time she thought he wouldn't cross a line, he did it. For the first time she beyond doubt feared for her pathetic life.

- It has been a while since we spent time together. - Torrie put two plates on top of the counter and then connected her eyes with Stacy, who had started chopping the raw onions again. - I'm so glad you finally came. We have so much to catch up.

Stacy missed Torrie and their meetings where they spent long hours shopping and talking. Most of the times they gossiped. If it wasn't their gossip habits, Stacy wouldn't find herself wrapped to an unhappy relationship; she would have never known Randy found her interesting and that perhaps if she worked her charm her stupid feelings could be reciprocal.

As happy as she was, the desperate blonde wished she hadn't been obligated to accept the invitation. If she kept refusing Torrie's invitations - she had done it over and over again - suspicions would arise. Stacy was allowed to meet her friend by Randy, who didn't come with her. Nonetheless, a flying ticket was waiting to take her back to his claws that same night. He advised her to return or things she didn't want to imagine would happen.

- I'm glad too. - She felt delighted for being away from him even if it was only for a moment and his shadow followed her wherever she went. - However, if I knew I would help you prepare the lunch I wouldn't have come.

- You know, I thought I would never see you again - Torrie spoke, ignoring Stacy's last comment. A malicious smile was drawn by honey blonde's lips when she went on with the conversation. - Doesn't Randy let you to get out of your lair?

The question affected Stacy in a way she didn't know it was possible. It was probably the verity of the words that when hit her had scared her. It was a fact that Randy didn't let her go anywhere by herself - this was an exception not to raise suspicions.

However, could Torrie have a clue about the hell she was enduring? The blonde quickly turned her neck and stared at Torrie who was still smiling suggestively. The SmackDown Diva hadn't meant what she thought.

- What did you say? - Stacy swerved her eyes to the chopping table and for the first time realized she hadn't stopped cutting the onions. Luckily, she didn't cut a finger, but she felt the touch of the metal knife on her skin. Hospitals were a forbidden place for her and cut finger couldn't be healed at home.

- I'm just kidding. - The odd glance sent in her direction hadn't been unnoticed. She was only playing. It wasn't supposed to be taken serious.

- I know you are. - Stacy inhaled a relaxing breath. She was becoming paranoid now. - I'm going to the bathroom.

Before Torrie could say another word, Stacy disappeared from her sight. In quickly steps the tall woman reached the bathroom and closed the door behind her. She needed time alone to recover.

The large mirror revealed her image and Stacy noticed that the scarf wasn't covering her neck as it should. It must have dislocated while she paced to the bathroom. Fortunately no one had seen what it was hiding.

Wrapping her fingers around the cloth, she removed it from her neck and a purple line was revealed. The purple was a lot darker before than it was now. Nonetheless, the bruise would take a while to disappear from her skin.

The tears jumped from her watery eyes. He tried to suffocate her with his own hands. It was a livid and thorny memory. She couldn't breathe. The air didn't reach her lungs to her desperation. She truly thought it was her end - the end of her life and the despair he put her through every day. The following days she found herself having trouble when she tried to swallow or to speak. Her throat hurt her every time she did it.

Randy had taken it too far. Lately his aggressive behavior towards her only got worse and worse. The damages in her body were getting harder to conceal and every morning she woke up she had to crawl to get out of the bed.

Her body slid down the bathroom wall to the cold floor. Every day she asked herself for how long it would last. Since he whipped her, the blonde was convinced she didn't last one more month.

A knock on the door remembered Stacy that she wasn't alone. She was at her friend's house and it seemed Torrie was just a few steps away from her. The timing to break down was badly chosen.

- Is everything okay Stacy? You didn't cut your finger, or did you? - There weren't signs of blood on the chopping board, but the other blonde was taking so long in the bathroom that she had to confirm.

Without receiving an answer - Stacy was fighting the tears to be able to speak again -, Torrie placed her hand on the knob and turned it around. To Torrie's relieve the door was unlocked.

The Baltimore born wondered how she had been dumb enough not to lock the door. What the hell was wrong with her? How many times would she let her guards down? After the incident with John Cena, she should have already learned how to behave. Previous to Torrie entrance, the beaten woman only had time to put the scarf around her neck once again. The bruise couldn't be seen.

- Stacy, what's wrong? - As soon as her eyes leaned on Stacy, the Boise native felt a wave of concern running through her body. After so many years together, she considered the crying woman as her younger sister.

- Nothing - Stacy stammered between the tears that didn't stop running from her eyes to her desperation. She wouldn't be able to deceive Torrie if she didn't stop crying.

- If it was nothing, you wouldn't be crying on the bathroom floor. - The honey blonde knelt at Stacy's side and placed her hand on the other woman's shoulder, a sign of comfort.

No words slipped from Stacy's mouth when she tried to speak. Not only didn't she know what to tell - she couldn't arrange a single lie -, but the pain in her throat returned. Randy had taken her voice literally and figuratively.

- Did you and Randy have a fight? - Torrie asked. After all, Stacy had only broken down after she spoke about her relationship with Randy.

Out of the blue, the younger blonde nodded with her head. She shouldn't have given the idea that Randy had something to do with her vulnerable condition. Why didn't she put the blame on the onions?

Stacy had control herself or the truth would be revealed. She couldn't put Torrie in danger just because the pain was becoming too much for her to handle by herself. She was alone and no matter what she would always be. The pain of dragging someone to this messy situation was worse than the pain he inflected her.

- Whatever happened between you two, I'm sure it wasn't that serious. You haven't broken up, right?

It was her biggest desire. If they had broken up, she would be smiling not crying. All she wished was to stop being his puppet. Slowly, Stacy shook her head and then confirming that she was still a committed woman.

- I'm going to get you a warm tea. It will make you feel better. We can speak about what happened between you and Orton while you drink it.

Before Torrie walked away, Stacy wrapped her fingers around her wrist. She trusted Torrie. Nevertheless, a promise needed to be made.

- Please, don't tell anyone about this. I don't want anyone to know - Randy included. He wouldn't appreciate knowing I told you this. He doesn't like me to talk about our personal life with other people. Promise me you won't tell.

- Don't worry, I'm a tomb. - It was better for the honey blonde to keep her promise. Not only for Stacy's own good, but for hers too. Randy had to stay clueless about it. - Now, I'm going to get you that warm tea, okay?

Stacy shook her head in agreement without still having the strength to speak. Why did she always have to mess up everything? She dragged herself to a wretched situation and now it seemed she would put Torrie in the same place as her. The younger blonde prayed that he never knew about it. It wasn't easy to lie to him, but she had to do it. Her friends wouldn't get hurt because of her silliness.

The next words pronounced by Torrie were almost imperceptible. Stacy was returning to the spiral of darkness where she was stuck every day of her life. A moment of rest and an opportunity to cheer up was given to her and she threw it out as it wasn't a precious gift.

- I think we can go lunch out after - we had never been great cooks anyway - and then we can do some shopping. Shopping always cheer up a woman.

Drying her tears, Stacy realized how close she was of telling the truth. For few inches she hadn't slipped and revealed her darkest secret.

Forcing a smile, the younger blonde tried to assure it was everything okay and she agreed with the plans - Torrie wouldn't take "no" for answer. A busy afternoon would be perfect to prepare her for the night events; it could be her salvation for her meeting with Randy hours later.

**xx-XX-xx-XX-xx**

John Cena drunk gulp of his ice-cold beer. Sitting on the bar stool, the current WWE Champion was enjoying some of the free time he had between a house show and some hours of sleep before catching a plane. Perhaps it was a better idea to call off the night because the flight was early in the morning, but he didn't feel like doing it. Also, he wasn't alone in the bar. It was filled with some of his co-workers. He wouldn't be the only dragging his body out of the bed the next day.

By the corner of the eye, John saw Randy approaching. He was walking to his direction. Throughout the last couple of days he convinced himself to leave alone his friend's relationship. He had nothing to do with it. Maybe the couple was going through a rough moment and the weird vibe he received when they met backstage was produced by the tension between them.

But then…

John Cena wasn't a relationship expert. His last relationships failed miserable because of the distance - working for WWE required to travel a lot - and he wasn't properly a faithful boyfriend. But he couldn't stop himself from believing there was something wrong in Randy and Stacy's relationship - as much as he wanted to convince himself they only had a fight.

The WWE Superstars didn't want to get in the middle of the relationship because Randy was his best friend. Also, he wasn't the kind of person who cared about the other people's love life. But he couldn't ignore the fact that he had found Stacy semi-conscious inside an elevator crying.

And the nonsense words she pronounced…He understood them now, but Randy would never hit her. The West Newbury native was aware that Randy had bad temper once a while. He had witness it a couple of times before. Nevertheless he would never hit a woman. The blonde Diva had probably taken something she shouldn't - as drugs or then she drank too much alcohol - and was hallucinating.

- May I join you? - John simply nodded and saw Randy occupying the stool next to him. A few seconds later, the younger man had a beer on his hands. - You are too serious. What happened?

- Nothing happened - the blue-eyed man quickly answered. Randy was the last person in the World he wanted to know about what he was thinking. For a brief second he considered that his friend could be an abusive boyfriend. - Where is your female company?

Why did he ask about Stacy's whereabouts? He should have found a way out from his suspicious thoughts and not to give them more fuel.

John noticed that Randy was caught off guard by his question, but the third-generation wrestler didn't hesitate a moment before answering.

- Stacy went to visit Torrie. She returns tonight.

Gladly Randy didn't query the reason he wanted to know about the blonde. If he had something to hide, he wouldn't take a moment to question him the reason he was interested, right? However, if John was in his place, he would have probably asked why another guy wanted to know about his girlfriend. And he even wasn't the jealous type.

- Then you are girlfriend free for tonight. - Regretting his words once again, John drank another gulp of beer to shut up his mouth. He had an opportunity to let the theme go. When would he learn to be quiet?

- She may not be around, but I'm still a compromised man. - The next words pronounced by the dark-haired man were astonishing. - I think she may be the one.

If Randy was pretending he cared about the blonde, he was doing a pretty good job because John was convinced that he was being truthful about his feelings for her. They knew each other for years and John had never listened to him expressing that a woman was the right one for him.

- Since when do we have slushy talks? - The question had to put an end to all the conversation surrounding Randy and his girlfriend. John wanted to forget everything he thought about his friend during the last days.

The taller man took a look at his wristwatch. It was time to leave and to go to airport. He wanted to be there when Stacy arrived to take her to the hotel and to hear all the details about her visit to Torrie. Also, he had a few questions to make her about Cena and their conversation. When he asked, she told him they had only exchanged a few words about John coming to Raw before he showed up. Nothing more! However, it was better to ask a second time to be sure the story didn't change.

- Look, I have to go to the airport to pick Stacy up. - From his wallet he took off the money for the two beers and put it on top of the counter. - I'll see you tomorrow.

- See you tomorrow.

John watched Randy leaving and out of nowhere he remembered that if he was an abusing boyfriend, his questions may have put Stacy in a hard place. Shaking his head, he removed the idea from his mind.

Why the hell was it so hard for him to let it go? Finishing his beer, John Cena decided to call off the night. A few hours of sleep would arrange his thoughts and perhaps he would let go the idea of Randy beating his girlfriend.


	5. The Truth Unfolds

**A/N:** Thank you **ChainGangHottieWithKillerLegs**, **Cenationxprincess**, **my time is now**, **therealchamps**, **Cena's baby doll** and **Nadia26** for reviewing the previous chapter. I'm trying to update this story once a week and since I published it I have been able to keep my goal. Enjoy the new chapter and tell me what you think. I'm sorry for the spelling and grammar mistakes. As you know English isn't my first language.

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><p><strong>Never Alone<strong>

_Chapter Five -_ The Truth Unfolds

Stacy ran her fingers through her blonde hair. The gesture revealed she was nervous. Her state of nerves was provoked by the task she had ahead that wasn't going to be easy to fulfill. She inhaled a deep breath, preparing herself for a confrontation she clearly didn't wish. However, as much as the blonde wanted to avoid it, she couldn't do it.

The opportunity she had been waiting for the last week had finally showed up and it was now or never. In a firm pace, the WWE Diva made her way to the elevator. This was most likely her only opportunity and she had to take it.

When she reached the tight place, Stacy made sure that only two people would be inside of it and one of them was her and the other the person she had to face. The elevator doors closed few seconds after her entrance to her relieve. It would only be them for a while. The time she needed to warn him to stay away from her.

Leaned in the corner, he hadn't even noticed her presence - he didn't send a glance in her direction. The hood was covering the man's features, but it was without dugout him.

Winning all the courage she could under the circumstances, Stacy twisted her body to face him and then broke the silence. Listening to her voice, he realized who had entered in the elevator seconds ago.

- What is your problem? Why can't you just leave me alone? - It wasn't perhaps the best question to do. At least, she had found courage - more courage than initially thought - to go through with this confrontation.

John Cena raised his eyebrow when listened to the familiar voice. The question caught him off guard. What did she do to him? Nothing! Why couldn't he leave her alone? He had only bothered once backstage and it was a week ago. Why was she even asking him it?

To face the decided woman in the eyes, he took off his sweater's hood - it would also give Stacy a better look of his features. She was undoubtedly angry at him. The worst part was that John didn't have a clue of the reason that made her throw all that anger against him. As far as he knew he hadn't revealed anyone about the night he found her passed out. He promised to keep it to himself until he became conscious of what happened. Unless Randy…No, he refused to believe it. His friend wasn't a psycho.

- Am I supposed to know about what are you talking?

- You better to stop being so nosy. What do you have to do with my visit to Torrie? Randy told me about it. - He first threatened her and only, then he told her about the conversation he and John shared not too long before her arrival. The dark-haired man always started the conversations with her backward.

Randy wanted to know the motive his best friend had showed so much interest on her and only God knows why he accused her of being throwing herself to another man. If the younger man hadn't seen John speaking with her, perhaps he wouldn't act so jealous. He wouldn't have cared about the fact John asked about her whereabouts.

Last thing Stacy wished was another man in her life - who woman in her situation would want another male to deal with? -, so Randy's accusations of infidelity didn't have foundation. If she had another man in her life, she surely wouldn't allow him to beat her. The truth would have already come to the surface because she had someone to protect her. Nonetheless, being wrong wouldn't stop Randy from verbally and physically attacking her.

- It was just a bar talk. - It was not a very innocent bar talk which he shouldn't have brought up. He avowed if another man asked about his girlfriend's whereabouts, he wouldn't enjoy it, even if that man was one of his best friends. It was easier to understand if Randy queried him and the girlfriend. - Why does it worry you so much?

If this jerk made a slight idea of what she was going through, then he would understand the reason that it concerned her as much as it did. The blonde was feeling her life slipping from her body and Randy thinking she was unfaithful would accelerate the process. He wouldn't admit her to cheat on him and to walk away unscathed.

The elevator stopped and in no time its doors would open to reveal her floor. It was time for a last advice and John should listen to it. The only victim of Randy's actions would be her because no way in heel he would ask John for explanations and he clearly would never hit him.

- I'm thankful for your help, but you have nothing to do with my life. Don't ever ask Randy something about me. You have nothing to do with me and my life. Leave me alone.

The elevator doors opened and Stacy made her way out. She clearly wasn't expecting John to follow her as he did. Which part of the "leave me alone" didn't he understand? He couldn't have understood it because he was just a few feet behind her.

- Why didn't you want Randy to know about the night you spend in my bedroom? - His voice was louder than it should be.

The blonde sent him a dirty glance over her shoulder. The words could be misinterpreted and if someone that knew them had listened to it, she would be in more trouble than she already was. Randy would have a fake substantiation of a nonexistent affair.

Without getting an answer, the Boston native went further with his words. The best option was to shut his mouth and to let it go. However, now that he had started querying her, he would go up to the end. It would be nice to have some questions.

- And I can assure you that Randy wasn't concerned with your absence because I met him that same morning at the gym and you were the last of his thoughts. Why didn't he go look for you?

Of course the third-generation superstar didn't care about her disappearance. It was far from being a blow for the blonde. She would be more surprised if the otherwise had happened. At the end, the WWE Diva didn't have anywhere to go and sooner or later she would return to him. She may have runaway from him that night, but she would never be able to go through with her escape. He knew beforehand that she would come back.

Stacy searched inside her purse the room key. Between Randy and this man, she would rather be with her boyfriend. Randy was predictable. He questioned her without caring about getting an answer or not. As long as he had a reason to yell at her and to assault her it was fine. But John…well, the questions needed an answer; there wasn't another option than answering.

- Then were you drunk? - One more time the blonde ignored him. It wasn't easy to pull out answers from her. And it wasn't only because she wasn't fond of him. Stacy was used to keep the truth to herself. - Or did you decide to experiment some white powder?

- As I told you before, leave me alone. You can be friends with Randy, but it doesn't mean we have to be friends too. You better to stay away from me.

- Or were you running from someone who beat you? - This subject was supposed to be buried, but the current WWE champion wasn't able to keep his mouth shut about it for any longer. An odd feeling warned him that he would engage paths that he didn't wish to.

Stacy immobilized without knowing where to go. The room key was in her hands, but she had no clue to which bedroom it belonged. His words evidently made her lose her orientation. To which room was she walking to after all?

Confused and disoriented, Stacy walked away. Or at least she tried to walk away. Before she gave another step, John wrapped his fingers around her left wrist. The Baltimore native bit her bottom lip when a intense pain ran through her arm. John didn't mean to hurt her - he grabbed her wrist gently -, but a bruise had been left there in the night Randy went to pick her up at the airport.

In a brief second, John was confronted with the truth that he had been hoping to be a lie. He knew Randy very well and after so many years he couldn't believe his best friend would hit a woman.

Perhaps it was another person who attacked the young woman and not Randy. It was all explained then. As hard as it was, John tried to convince himself that someone unknown attacked Stacy that night and it was the main reason she didn't desire Randy to be acquainted with the reality. However, if his girlfriend was attacked why didn't the dark-haired man show any concern the morning after? He seemed so relaxed and a slightly angry because of his lateness. John didn't perjure when he revealed Stacy that his boyfriend didn't demonstrate concerning.

- Who hurt you? - The blue-eyed man was seriously apprehensive. He had spent all this time judging her. It crossed his mind many times that she was a junkie because of her reaction towards him; for wanting to hide that night from everyone else. But at the end, she was probably attacked her by some random strange - or Randy, the option he didn't want to accept.

- Did you lose your mind? - Stacy stammered. Lately, everyone was one step closer of unfolding the truth. Two times she avoided it. A third time would be a lot harder, especially when she was on the edge of breaking down.

Speaking about her personal heel to the devil's best friend would bring troubles to her side. Stacy wasn't expecting anyone to believe that Randy hurt her and John was scratched from the list of people who would distrust the truth.

- If someone lost his mind it was you. - He let go her wrist when he realized that his touch wasn't welcome. By the expression drawn by her features he could swear that he was hurting her without using strength. - When we arrived at my bedroom you were semi-conscious and you said nonsense after nonsense. You begged me not to take you somewhere because _he_ would hurt you.

The tall woman sauntered through the hall without watching over her shoulder. Regaining her orientation, Stacy realized that she was close of her and Randy's bedroom. However, John continued following her and Randy couldn't see him. If he saw, she would be the object of more bruises.

- I don't know what you think, but you are wrong. - The young blonde didn't have courage to face him once again. If their eyes met, she believed he would read the lies on them.

- Then why did you say that? - Only now he understood that she was too dead serious to be lying. Every single word that ran out from her mouth that night was true.

- As you said I was semi-conscious and I was probably drunk or drugged. I can't recall what I did that night, it's all a blur. - Her memories of that night were a bit blurry because of the injury on her head. However, she recalled who injured her and the fugue to somewhere away from him. - Whatever I told you was a bunch of lies. Now, just go away, go live your life and leave my life alone.

Doing her best to look normal - her watery eyes couldn't be seen by Randy or he would punish her -, Stacy unlocked her bedroom door and stepped into it not caring about her follower. She prayed for Randy to be on an extremely good mood and not to unload his frustrations on her fragile body.

John stayed behind, not following her as he did before. It was a fact that he had scared her. He saw by her eyes that his words frightened her. The truth was right in front of him as much as he didn't want to accept it. But let's face it: who wants to believe his best friend is a monster?

Twisting his body around, the Massachusetts native sauntered back to the elevator. Finding himself inside it, John's mind flew back to the night he found the blonde Diva.

**xx-XX-xx-XX-xx**

_"It was the perfect welcome to a new roster. Finding a coworker - a female coworker to be precise - on the elevator's floor with blurred make-up and falling into the darkness. It was just his luck._

_- Are you okay? - The blonde didn't answer and she certainly didn't take time to acknowledge his presence. She was in a place where nothing and no one could reach her._

_John ran his hand through his short hair. He didn't have too many options. In her condition this woman wouldn't tell him where she was staying for the night and she didn't even had a purse with her, more exactly a cell phone, to find where she could be staying or someone who could tell him._

_There was only one available option and it wasn't to leave her alone. The newest Raw Superstar would have to take her with him: to his bedroom._

_Carefully, John picked her up from the dirty floor. He would have to carry her in his arms to his bedroom because she couldn't stay on her feet. While adjusting her, he saw an irregularity on the back of the woman's head. Behind the long blonde hair a bump was expanding. He could tell that it was a nasty bump._

_What would people think if they saw him carrying an unconscious woman to his bedroom? Probably that he was some pervert. But he couldn't leave her all alone waiting for a real pervert to show up. Luckily, John didn't have to worry with suspicious and interrogator glances and he was thankful for it._

_They were approaching from his bedroom when Stacy moved, her eyes were slightly opened. She was whispering confusing words, but the Diva was still not conscious. When she woke up the next day, the blonde wouldn't remember a single word she pronounced._

_- Where are you staying? - John asked without letting her go. He feared if he placed her on the floor, she wouldn't handle her own weight and fall flat on the ground._

_The woman's mind was fuzzy, but she understood his question. For some peculiar reason John could perceive the fear tangled in her voice. It made him wonder where the hell he had brought himself into._

_- Please, don't take me there. - Tears fell from her hazel eyes. - I don't want to go back. Please, don't take me to _him_._

_John Cena wasn't the right guy to handle with an emotional woman. When he realized that a woman he was into had emotional issues - or was possessive or any other bothering quality -, he would walk away and never call her again._

_People who knew John Cena had told him many times that he was an idiot for jumping from girl to girl because he didn't have patience to deal with emotional questions. But who could blame him for being so detached? Those women, usually, only brought problems._

_- I'm sure someone is worried about you. Tell me where you, or one of your friends, are staying so I can take you there. - It wasn't going to be easy to call this woman to the reason_

_- He isn't happy. He will hurt me._

_Was she a lunatic? Or was she insane? Perhaps, hallucinating? Or was she just drunk? The dark circles under her eyes revealed that she probably partied too much lately. Whatever was the reason of her delusional condition, John was aware that he wouldn't get a concrete answer from her. The better he could do was to go through with his original plan and to take her to his bedroom. Maybe when the morning arrived she would be recovered and then she would make sense._

_- Please, don't take me. - It was a desperate whisper. She was begging him. For a moment she appeared more awake; more conscious of her actions. - Don't take me to him. He will hurt me._

_- I won't take you to him - John assured and it calmed her down. He would keep his promise. Not because he didn´t know where she was staying, but he didn't want to freak her out - more than she already was with the hypothesis of meeting _him_._

_John finally took her to his bedroom as he initially thought - a long night on the armchair expected him. With the morning, he would question her strange behavior and would try to understand what happened with her."_


	6. Broken Will

**A/N: **As always I want to thank **ChainGangHottieWithKillerLegs**, **Cena's baby doll**, **therealchamps** and **my time is now** for reviewing the previous chapter. I hope everyone enjoys the new chapter and I apologize for the spelling and grammar mistakes - I confess I didn't pay attention when I re-read it.

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><p><strong>Never Alone<strong>

_Chapter Six -_ Broken Will

Randy didn't tell her another word. He simply hung up on her after breaking the news. Stacy stayed sat on the locker-room bench without knowing how to react to them. Should she feel relived? Or should she feel even more apprehensive than it was usual?

By the voice the third-generation wrestler used he wasn't kidding or trying to fool her with his words. He told her the truth. Of course that since he changed from a likable boyfriend to a monster Randy never lied. He was always serious towards her and a smile was only formed by his lips when he was surrounded by friends.

Stacy shut her eyes, trying to digest the news. Randy would really leave her alone for more time than it was usual since his brutal attacks began. When was the last time she spent a day away of him? When was the last time she wasn't obligated to share a bedroom with him?

For what she understood - and she was sure she got his message right - the WWE management had a meeting with Randy that morning and it was decided that he would start working with the SmackDown roster.

His departure was a golden opportunity for the Baltimore native. Those moments of freedom she had been dreaming of would finally be hers. Nonetheless, she didn't know how to react. Her mind wondered if he could become more vicious because of the weekly separation. Randy would be away for almost a week and when they met he would release the rage he refrained inside himself during those days they were apart. His attacks could turn more aggressive than they already were.

- Are you ready? - Lisa was standing near the locker-room door. It had spent ten minutes since Stacy told she was prepared to go out. However, due to Randy's call she forgot that people were waiting for her. - Or did you change your mind?

- I'm ready to go. - The blonde woman's lips coiled into a smile. Picking up her belongings, Stacy left the locker-room. This night she would try to celebrate a little of her new found liberty.

Randy was miles away, in Stamford, Connecticut to be more precise, and luckily she wouldn't have to deal with him for a couple of days. WWE offered her freedom without being aware of it.

For the first time in five months Stacy would go out with some coworkers and friends without Randy being her shadow. She had an opportunity to be herself once again and not the scared woman that he turned her; the scared woman who didn't make a move without her boyfriend's approval. She was free from his dirty glances always warning her to keep her mouth shut and only to speak with the people he approved.

Stacy couldn't state she was feeling happy. She continued tied in a relationship with Randy and they wouldn't break up any time soon. However, she was feeling the less miserable she felt in a while.

The trip until the nightclub was fast. The young Diva didn't notice the time pass by because she wasn't counting it; she didn't count the minutes she had until her personal hell welcomed her.

Shocking her head, the beaten woman tried to forget Randy. Tonight he was away and he wouldn't return to haunt her soon. She had to take the opportunity to have fun and not to feel depressed.

The nightclub was filled with people and many faces were easy recognized by Stacy. Leaving her purse with Lisa, the blonde walked to the bar to order the drinks. For her she would order something without alcohol. She hadn't drunk a drip of alcohol since the day she understood Randy wouldn't stop hurting her; she needed to be in her full senses every time he did not to do anything to raise his fury and the idea of refuge in the alcohol frightened her - she didn't want to become addicted.

A feeling of being watched traveled through her slim body, but Stacy ignored it. Randy wasn't around. Nevertheless another man was watching her steps and he didn't wait to meet her.

John tapped Stacy's shoulder to call her attention. It was the same gesture he used to win her interest when he saw the Diva backstage three days after carrying her to his hotel bedroom. The blonde turned around and the beam illuminating her face vanished.

His presence caught her off guard, as it always did. Apart from their last conversation - if it could be called a conversation to an exchange of harsh words and warnings -, John always had the surprise element on his side and Stacy clearly wasn't fond of it.

The blue-eyed man leaned his body against the balcony, right beside her. When her eyes connected with his it seemed he was holding a white flag. It was crystal clear he didn't want her to make her angry; he didn't want to fight or to corner her against a wall.

- Do you have comprehension difficulties? - Stacy usually wasn't a mean and rude woman. It wasn't part of her nature to be uncivil to the other people; especially with those she considered a stranger or just a new acquaintance, as John Cena.

- Can we just talk like two normal people? I mean, without you running away from me as I have leprosy.

The Boston native had chosen this moment to speak with her because not only they would be surrounded by people and loud music -no one would pay attention to their talk- as he noticed Randy wasn't around -his presence wouldn't bring Stacy problems with her boyfriend.

- I didn't forget to thank you for helping me. I thanked you more than enough. And I told you to stay away from me.

Stacy prayed for the barman to hurry up with the drinks. She wanted to have a good time with her friends and not to discuss with John Cena how badly his best friend treated her.

- Randy isn't here now and no one can listen to us. We can talk without predicaments - John announced and by her facial features it was easy to tell she couldn't deny his words. - I only need five minutes of your time.

- What does Randy's presence have to do with us being able to talk? - She was showing more confidence than she actually had.

If Randy was around, she would pretend John wasn't speaking with her. Also, if the taller man was inside the nightclub John wouldn't have approached from the blonde. He never had the intention of putting her in danger and now he was sure he did it many times unintentionally.

- I was hoping you could tell me. Also, I would love to know if the bump I saw on your head, a couple of weeks ago, was done by him.

The drinks were placed on top of the bar counter. Stacy picked them up, but she didn't move to go away. She didn't realize the reason it mattered him so much to have knowledge of the truth. He was willing to believe his best friend wasn't a good person; he was a man that beats women.

- Why do you care? - She looked him in the eyes and understood he was genuinely concerned with _her_. His behavior flabbergasted her.

John was the first person realizing the truth behind her relationship. However, he didn't deserve the merit of the unpleasant discovery. If she hadn't lowered her guards that night, he would never have known the reality. It would never cross his mind the type of man Randy was and he wouldn't be standing at her side worried for what it seemed her well-being.

Why did he care? John didn't know the answer. Perhaps because he was taught it was wrong a man to hit a woman. Maybe because he couldn't conceal how disgusting he thought Randy's actions were. Possibly because he didn't desire to be a witness of Stacy's slow death and he refused not to help her when he had the power to do it. There were so many reasons he hadn't though until she queried him.

- Because it is the right thing to do - John firmly pronounced. His involvement would kill the friendship he had with Randy. Nonetheless, he didn't mind lose the companionship of a man of that kind.

- No, the right thing for you to do is to back off. - Her watery eyes weren't able to hide the pain anymore. The truth was read in her eyes as an open page of a book.

- Then is it true?

Stacy hadn't denied it yet. Before he believed one hundred percent in his conclusions, he had to have a confirmation from her. Stacy simply had to say "yes", nothing more. If she told him "no", it certainly wouldn't change his mind about Randy's improper behavior. Nonetheless, John had to listen to the truth coming out from her lips.

The West Newbury born couldn't base the truth on his assumptions. There was still a small chance of being wrong - he was aware he sounded a fool. He would be lying if he said he wasn't hoping to be wrong even after all the evidence.

Without opening her mouth to offer him a reply, Stacy turned her back and walked away; she returned to her table. The drinks were left behind.

As all the times before, John was left behind. He wondered what he could do to receive a concrete answer. He had to have it before...Before what? John had no freaking idea about what he would do with the truth. The current champion was stuck in a place that no one wished to be: between his best friend, his best friend's girlfriend and his beliefs.

**xx-XX-xx-XX-xx**

- Have a good night Miss Keibler.

The hotel receptionist handed the blonde Diva the key of the bedroom where she would be spending the short night. As the space had been booked for her and Randy, she fortunately had a king-size bed all to herself.

- Thank you. - With the key on her hands, Stacy sauntered to the elevator.

The tall woman tried to stay at the nightclub with her friends after her encounter with John. It was a carefree night and after all she went through - and she still was going through - she deserved it. Randy and the beatings he gave her should be the last of her worries at least for a few hours. It was all she asked for! Nonetheless, her concerns returned and they brought her back to the hotel. This was one of those moments she needed to be alone.

Unaccompanied in the elevator, Stacy revived the short and rapid conversations she shared with John throughout the last two weeks and half. The recent events were unbelievable. The events were almost stranger than the first time Randy hit her.

Someone was willing to help her with Randy. Someone was willing to put an end to her misery. One word from her and because "it is the right thing to do" John would aid her. For some unexplainable reason, he would put himself between her and Randy and certainly it would ruin the friendship the two men had.

However, was she willing to accept his offer? Would she have the courage to admit it? Stacy wanted to be free of Randy's claws and to have her life back, but she didn't know how she would feel when everyone - the people that mattered to her - learned about it. She wouldn't be able to bear the pity glances and the apologetic smiles. The situation would be very embarrassing.

Stacy stepped out of the elevator, but she didn't walk to her bedroom. She remained on the fourth floor hall thinking about her next move: to go to the bedroom and to have a peaceful night or to confess John Cena the truth.

Involved in her thoughts -she had a choice to make-, Stacy didn't realize someone approached from her. When the blonde understood she wasn't alone anymore that person had already wrapped his fingers around her arm and he dragged her to the hotel stairs.

Stacy's protest died inside her mouth when she recognized the person who grabbed her. A chill ran through her spine as it always happened when the danger approached. She didn't want to believe Randy was standing at her front. What was he doing here? He wasn't supposed to be here; he was hours away from her. Or at least she thought he was.

- Where have you been? - The blonde moved her mouth to speak, but she was too flabbergasted by his presence and no word echoed. Her action increased his anger. - It was because of you, wasn't it?

- What are you talking about? - Stacy finally stammered.

- I'm sick and tired of you. You have been spreading lies and now I'm sent to the B-show because of you.

Stacy didn't understand about what Randy was talking. What did he mean with spreading lies? Why couldn't he go straight to the point? The tall man never explained to her anything. One more time he would release his frustrations on her and blame her for all his recent problems.

If she was an unlucky charm why didn't he let her go? The young woman didn't comprehend his behavior and it would always be a puzzle for her. However, she concluded Randy Orton was a monster, a devil, a soulless human being.

- Randy, I don't…- Her words were cut off because Randy shoved her against the wall. She listened to a bone breaking -a few seconds after the tiny sound echoed she understood it was one of her ribs- and then the pain ran through her chest. It was the first time his assaults broke one bone from her body.

- Don't play innocent, Stacy. - He wrapped his strong hands around her neck. - I know what you have been doing behind my back and I guarantee you that you will pay for it. Next time you try to trick me, you better to think twice.

Letting Stacy go, Randy pushed her before turning his back. He didn't plan what happened next. When a tiny scream reached his ears, the black-haired man twisted his body to see an unconscious Stacy on the landing.

When he pushed Stacy, she lost the balance. Tripping in her heels, the blonde was sent into the abyss. Her body rolled down the stairs and when it finally touched the cold landing, the beaten woman was motionless. Her eyelids were hiding the hazel eyes and drops of blood slowly ran from the forehead. The blonde hair was stained of red.

Randy stared at the woman that he called girlfriend for a few seconds before walking away. Someone would find her and if no one did it…well, it wasn't his problem. Stacy was left to her own destiny while the monster disappeared without remorse.


	7. Lost Hope

**A/N: **Thank you **therealchamps**,** my time is now**, **ChainGangHottieWithKillerLegs**, **Cena's baby doll** and **xBeautyinNegativeSpaces** for the lovely reviews. I hope you enjoy the new chapter - if it matters, I'm not very fond of it.

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><p><strong>Never Alone<strong>

_Chapter Seven -_ Lost Hope

The sound of the machine that controlled her vital signs was the first noise Stacy listened to when she woke up from her state of latency. She felt her body rested and for the first time in a long time no pain pierced it.

The half-open eyes scanned the place carefully and slowly. The blonde's heart almost jumped out of her chest when the realization she was in a place that shouldn't hit her.

What was she doing in a hospital? What was she doing in a hospital bed? Randy would murder her for being in such place. He had forbidden her to step in a place where his behavior against her could be discovered in a blink of an eye.

Lifting the body with her elbows, Stacy looked around. It was night outside and a single lamp illuminated the individual room. Luckily, she didn't have to get used to the strong light of the day. Her only worry was the needle in her veins - it certainly was guiding morphine right into her body because she couldn't feel any pain. A brusque movement and it could slip out her arm.

- You are awake - a voice exclaimed from a corner of the bedroom. A figure rose up from a chair and walked in the bed's direction.

Stacy felt happy when realized it was Torrie who was making her company; the first person she saw after waking up. Nonetheless, the blonde would feel relieve for seeing anyone because it meant Randy hadn't stolen her life.

- I was so worried. You have been unconscious for the past two days. - Torrie took a seat on the bed's edge and her hands grabbed Stacy's hand. It was hard to explain if the honey blonde was comforting the beaten woman or herself.

Two days? Stacy swallowed hard when realized two days had spent since the "accident"; since she walked among the living telling lie after lie. This time Randy had gone too far - as he hadn't gone already too far before. He was constantly pushing her limits and this time his assaults brought her two days of unconsciousness.

The blonde accommodated her body to have a better view of the bedroom and from Torrie. If her best friend looked to pale and disarranged, Stacy didn't wish to have knowledge of how she looked.

- Where are my parents? - Her hospital stay couldn't be hidden from her biological progenitors. They weren't in touch very much because of Randy's demands and threats, but three days without a cell phone message or a call from their only daughter would raise some suspicious.

- They were here a couple of hours ago. I think Randy took them to dinner to cheer them up.

First, the third generation superstar put her in a hospital bed and now he was walking around with her parents as he was innocent. A wave of surprise ran her body. Didn't the doctors realize she was suffering abuses? How didn't they notice it? If the truth was discovered, why were her parents with Randy?

- I don't remember what happened. - It was a lie. All the beatings were deep etched in her memory. Stacy recalled Randy's accusations and the moment he made her lose the balance. It didn't seem he planned to push her; however, he turned his back and didn't care about her condition. The blonde listened to him walking away before losing her senses once for all.

Torrie coyly tucked a string of hair behind her ear. It was uncomfortable to speak about the memories Stacy fortunately lost. The honey blonde didn't wish to be the person to make her friend to revive the instant a psychopath shoved her down the stairs. She was aware of some details of what Stacy went through and all she wished was to make the younger woman to feel secure and to forget a dire moment of her life.

- Can you tell me? - Stacy queried with all her innocence. She had to have knowledge of what happened while she was unconscious. Certainly no one found about Randy because if they did her parents wouldn't be with the man that almost murdered their daughter.

- It is better if we don't speak about it for now. Okay? - However, Torrie couldn't keep it to herself due to a sudden appearance at the door. The problem was right there and it couldn't be avoided as she wished. - You better to get out of here before I call security.

Stacy swerved her eyes to the door and saw John standing there. He had annoyed and bothered her a lot, but why would Torrie call the security? The honey blonde didn't even know about her conversations with the man.

- Whatever you heard it isn't true - John spoke. The words were directed to Torrie, but his eyes leaned on the hospitalized blonde. She was in a worse physical condition than he thought.

The West Newbury native recriminated himself for not going after Stacy when she left the bar. If he had done it, Randy wouldn't have pushed her from the stairs and he certainly wouldn't have turned himself into a victim. However, there was no way of John being aware of Randy's return. Probably when the younger man called to tell him the news, he already was in the hotel bedroom waiting for his girlfriend.

- You have already done enough. If it wasn't you, my best friend wouldn't be lying in this bed.

The only thing John was guilty of was being annoying because he wished to do the right thing. He wasn't the responsible for her trip to the hospital. He was miles away when Randy, the real culprit, tormented her many times.

- Torrie, let me speak with him for a moment. - Realizing the other woman didn't plan to leave the room, Stacy added a few more words to her request. Whatever she had to tell John was for his ears only. - In private.

- Are you insane? - No she wasn't insane, but it seemed everyone else was. Even John that always had a word ready to slip from his mouth was strangely quiet. How could someone change in two days? - I'm not going to leave you alone with a guy that pushed you from the stairs. Did he brainwash you?

- Please, I'm asking you to leave us alone for a moment. You can stay outside watching.

Stacy waited for Torrie to leave. The later didn't walk out of the bedroom without sending John a dirty look. If the eyes could kill, he would be lying on the floor lifeless.

Leaving the door half-open, John sauntered into the room. As closer as he got from the blonde an item that hadn't been noticed before in his hands was revealed. Usually, people brought a bouquet of flowers. However, he was just holding one flower.

- The receptionist convinced me to buy it - John told when saw Stacy's eyes fathoming the flower. He was obligated to buy it and not convinced. After the woman allowing him to enter without making part of the visits' list, he found himself buying the flower to help in the construction of a new hospital unit.

Getting near the bed, John extended the flower in Stacy's direction, who accepted it. He thought about throwing it to the trash, but then changed his mind. Perhaps it was better to leave it in her bedroom. It was a nice gesture, wasn't it? However, if the current WWE champion knew she was full awake, the flower would have been left in the trash as he initially thought; he wouldn't think about the subject twice.

- What happened? - Stacy questioned. Torrie's accusations needed to be explained.

- Apart from Randy accusing me of being harassing his girlfriend and being the one to blame for some pretty awful bruises she has? - Perhaps he was giving her too much information. Last he heard she was unconscious. She certainly hadn't waked up soon. - Also, it seems someone heard me saying about a night you spend in my bedroom and it didn't help take away the label of me being a pervert and a psychopath.

- I'm sorry. - Suddenly her eyes became watery. She had ruined the life of the only person that was willing to help her.

John hoped she wouldn't start crying because if she did, he had no idea how to deal with her. Also, Torrie would surely run into the room and try to murder him.

- If I was a selfish son of a bitch as the guy I called best friend I would be here asking you to reveal the truth. - If she didn't have the courage to confess him the truth, just one person, and he already was aware of the inferno she was living, Stacy wouldn't be brave enough to reveal everyone Randy's actions against her. - However, all I'm asking is you to tell your friend out there that I didn't hurt you and to immediately break up Randy in front of all these people. He won't hurt you anymore.

After all, everyone though he was the responsible for her current condition. In a matter of fact, he was responsible for all the bruises that had already healed and still have to heal. Randy couldn't hit or slap, or any other manner of hurting Stacy because then it wouldn't be easy to explain her new injuries if he wasn't around to be blamed. Whilst saving his own skin, Randy offered his girlfriend a way out unintentionally.

Listening to his order, Stacy chuckled. Break up with Randy? It was a lot easier to order her to do it than do it. The first, and only, time she tried to break up with him, the taller man slapped her hard and whispered in her ear threat after threat concerning her well-being and the people she cared about. The deadly gaze and devious voice convinced the blonde he would execute his intimidation.

- Do you know how this happened? He accused me for being sent to Smackdown. Not the management or Vince, but me. In a matter of fact, he accused me and the guy with whom I have been betraying him - who is you, by the way. I can't leave him.

If she left him now more chaos would be brought to her life. She knew Randy better than John did; she knew the real Randy and what he was capable off. The man everyone else knew was far from being the real him.

- Then you are going to let Randy…- John didn't go further with the difficult question. His following words would certainly hurt Stacy and perhaps making her act too emotional. Not only didn't he know how to deal with a crying woman as he didn't wish to inflict more pain to someone who has gone through so much already.

The blue-eyes man didn't understand how a woman in her perfect sense would stay with a man that hurt her emotionally and physically when she had the opportunity to escape from his abuses. Why would Stacy stay on an unhealthy relationship? Why would she refuse a chance to walk away to a new life?

- There is nothing I can do - Stacy replied. The help John offered her before couldn't be accepted anymore. Randy found a way to take it from her.

It seemed Stacy didn't care anymore with the destiny reserved for her. The blonde looked defeated and more than ready to embrace Randy's aggressions. It was pitiful to watch it, but John didn't have a solution to help her.

Without saying a word, John took from his jeans' pocket a piece of paper and stared at it thoughtfully. When he made the decision of going to the hospital, he didn't know what would expect him when he arrived at the place - a place where he clearly wasn't welcomed. If the blonde was sleeping or accompanied by her parents or Randy, John planned to ask someone to deliver the paper when she was by herself and awake. A short exchange of words and he would be gone.

However, Stacy was planning to stay with Randy and he didn't feel right turning his back and walking away. The Massachusetts native was the only person who was aware of the truth; the only person that she could count with.

- If you need to talk. - Stacy wrapped her fingers around the paper that was handed in her direction. His cell phone number was all he could give her for now.

John felt awful for walking away without doing anything. Well, he tried to do something and see what happened: he was near being suspended because of Randy's accusations which later were sustained by a misinterpretation; Stacy was lying in a hospital bed and he felt it was his fault. The Diva asked him so many times to stay away and he simply ignored her.

Stacy didn't stay alone in the bedroom for much longer. Seconds after John's departure, Torrie stepped into the space with a concerned expression. The moments she remained outside while the hospitalized woman talked with the alleged abuser were agonizing. If something had happened, she would never forgive herself for not being more rigid and to allow John to be in the room.

- Are you okay? - The apprehension was tangled in her voice. No one could blame the SmackDown Diva for acting the way she was. As everyone else, she was convinced John was responsible for every bruise Stacy's body had. - What did he do to you?

Inhaling a deep and long breath - it wasn't easy because of the broken rib -, the younger woman felt a huge weight on her shoulders. She was a coward. Now, due not to have bravery to stand up for herself - she had convincing reasons not to do it - someone else was suffering the consequences of Randy's uncontrolled wrath.

- You can't tell anyone John was here. - The honey blonde's lips moved. However, Stacy stopped her before she could speak. If she revealed it, John would certainly have problems. - He didn't do anything.

A puzzled Torrie was gazing at her when Stacy turned her body and then closed the eyelids. The viper was still out there and someone else was taking the blame for his actions. The guilty entangled her body. This was all happening because Randy scared her to dead and it took her too long to comprehend that John was being truthful about wishing to help her.

Stacy fell asleep once again and she prayed to never wake up. The reality was too overwhelming and there was no way from her to escape from it; to escape from him.


	8. Desperate Measures

**A/N:** Thank you **ChainGangHottieWithKillerLegs**, **therealchamps**, **my time is now**, **xthisfirestillburns **and **Cena's baby doll** for the nice reviews. Two more chapters and this story will be over - I can't remember the last time I finished a story so quickly. I'm sorry for the grammar mistakes, English isn't my first language. P.S.: I have a new poll on my profile and I would love you to vote. Thank you.

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><p><strong>Never Alone<strong>

_Chapter Eight -_ Desperate Measures

The woman staring at her own reflection on the mirror was a woman that Stacy didn't remember to see. Her skin wasn't as pale as it was typical and she wasn't wearing make-up to cover the dark circles under her eyes.

Nonetheless, the eyes revealed this woman was a farce and deep inside she still was a frightened woman that Randy turned her. The new healthy appearance deceived everyone, even herself.

After one week and half at the hospital, healing from the bruises and injuries on her body, Stacy finally received medical discharge. Home was waiting for her along with a week off work - a week that could be extended if she didn't feel capable of returning to a demanding travel schedule.

The time spent in a hospital bed wasn't easy to bear, but at least she didn't deal with the abuses inflicted by Randy. He came to visit her, however, he didn't have a split second to touch or threaten her because eyes where always on them. The company of her parents or Torrie when Randy was inside the room was relieving for the blonde.

When the doctor told her that she was free to go, Stacy was invaded by a sentiment of distress and frustration. Those four walls turned out a safe place and she felt reluctant leaving them knowing who and the future that expected her.

Replacing the white hospital gown by some of daily clothes brought from the hotel bedroom she was staying before the grave accident, the Diva walked out of the bathroom. Her suitcase was placed on the floor near the entrance waiting to abandon the safety of its room. In less than six hours Stacy would be at her parents' house recovering from the terrible fall. And most important, she would be miles away from her boyfriend for a week.

Torrie's eyes swerved to Stacy when she stepped out the bathroom. She was waiting to take the other woman to the airport. As Randy was busy with an autograph session in another state and Stacy's parents had flown to Baltimore to prepare everything to his only daughter's arrival, Torrie would be the one giving the injured woman a ride.

Hopefully, the younger blonde's flight wouldn't be delayed because Torrie had an important meeting that couldn't be avoided. The situation between Stacy, Randy and John had too many loose strings. She would put herself in the lion's den to find the truth.

It wasn't an easy task to persuade Stacy to open up. She couldn't understand the reason Stacy could be protecting someone who hurt her.

- When are we going to speak about John's visit? - One more attempt wouldn't hurt anyone. Or maybe it could hurt their long time friendship. Stacy's foul mood always came to the surface when these questions were made.

The younger blonde sent a dirty glance in the other woman's direction. The look wasn't unseen. If she didn't wish to speak about John's visit, why was Torrie always bringing up the subject?

The less the Idaho native knew the better for her. Randy was able to turn everyone against John and he walked away without a cloud of mistrust over him. Stacy didn't wish to imagine his actions against Torrie if she didn't stop digging the cruel truth.

- As I told you before, I don't want to discuss it.

Stacy's hand reached the small paper inside her jean's pocket. "If you need to talk", he said, but his eyes told a different story. He didn't wish to speak with her; he was hoping she would call requesting his help. John wanted to take her out of her misery even if it was impossible.

Torrie folded her arms. She was decided not to leave this hospital room once again without answers. Almost two weeks ago she provided John and Stacy some privacy to talk and went against her instinct by leaving them alone. Furthermore, she was keeping the meeting a secret even after the accusations Randy did. She hadn't forgotten Stacy told her that John didn't do anything against her, but if the younger man's claims were spot on the current WWE champion probably brainwashed Stacy - or maybe she was under his threats.

- Did you cheat on Randy with him?

- Of course, I didn't - Stacy exclaimed incredulous. From everyone she knew her she didn't expect Torrie to ask her if she was unfaithful. They have known each other for many years and by now the older woman should discern that she wasn't the cheating type; it wasn't part of her human nature.

Someone misunderstood John's words, or only listened what he or she wished, and somehow she went from the victim to an unfaithful bitch. If they knew what the third-generation superstar was capable off and how he treated when no one was around, they would be ashamed of their behavior.

- I'm going to murder Candice. - A perplexed gaze was sent into Torrie's direction. It was asking for an answer because Stacy didn't comprehend what Candice had to do with. - She listened to you and John speaking. Your words led her to believe you were having an affair.

For some reason Stacy was never fond of Candice Michelle and now she had reasons to hate the woman. The brunette spread lies and because of those lies she lost her only way out of Randy's claws. The dark-haired man could have been caught if that woman hadn't opened her mouth.

The chances of people seeing who he really was were slightly, however, it could have happened. She could be free from his oppression by now.

- Torrie, you know me better than everyone else. - Stacy looked Torrie in the eyes before pronouncing the next set of words. - I would never cheat on Randy or anyone else.

She told many lies throughout the last five months, but she was being truthful about being a faithful woman. It was hurtful to be aware Torrie doubted of her innocence; she listened to people who didn't know her.

- Randy must feel guilty for not protecting you. Now, it will be harder to stay at your side while working with SmackDown.

It would be difficult for Randy to defend her from himself. Stacy wondered the reason no one thought for a moment her boyfriend was abusing her and not another man. The truth was under everyone's eyes, yet they refused to see it.

- It isn't his fault if he is in a different roster. - She felt pathetic making up excuses to someone she hated with all her heart. It was his entire fault. He was the one to blame for this messy situation.

- I already took care of it, Stace. - Only one person called her "Stace" and he never used it with good intentions. Every time he did it, he did it as a sign of warning to Stacy be good and act as he pleased or later she would suffer the consequences.

The two blondes turned their attentions to the door. For how long was he at the door? Stacy hoped he had only arrived now and not one single word that she and Torrie shared was listened to.

Why did Torrie bring up John's name? By now Randy could be aware of John's visit and he wouldn't forgive Stacy for hiding it from him.

Randy stepped into the bedroom and under the light a wound on his lip was revealed. Until that moment Stacy hadn't realized Randy's open lip that was almost healed. Of course she didn't dare to ask him what happened. However, now that she recalled one of John's eyes was swollen. Due being under the morphine effect and other meds that she couldn't name, Stacy didn't notice it before.

Placing the puzzle pieces in the right place, the blonde realized the two men had gotten into a fight. The fallout between the two friends was because of her. She should feel guilty for destroying a friendship, but under the circumstance it was a sentiment she was unable to experiment.

- How so? - Torrie queried while Stacy kept herself silenced. The behavior was out of ordinary, but the older woman didn't pay attention to it.

The girlfriend certainly wouldn't step up and ask. Even with Torrie a few steps behind, she was overrun by a terror sensation. Her mind didn't stop worrying with the words Randy may have listened to.

- I spoke with management and after what happened they will find a way to send you to SmackDown. - The dark-haired man showed a smug grin. Once again, he had the blonde in his hands. She was his and she wouldn't go anywhere unless he wanted.

Stacy forced herself to smile when listened to the unpleasant news. This wasn't what she wanted - it was far from being her wish to travel again with this man. The minute Randy told her he would start working with the SmackDown roster she felt the burden on her back reducing. To spend time away from him was a miracle and she was delighted with the proposal.

- Are you ready to go to the hotel?

- Don't I have a flight to catch? - A confused glance was shared between Stacy and Torrie. The last had the "mission" to bring her to the airport. The sudden change of plans caught both women off guard. Of course, the younger should already be used to Randy showing up and taking control.

- Today you are going to stay with me. Tomorrow I'll take you to the airport and I'll be travelling with you to be sure nothing bad happens. - Randy wrapped his arm around his girlfriend's shoulders. - Did you think I wouldn't cancel the signing to be with you?

His lips connected with Stacy's forehead. A shiver ran thought the woman's body with his gesture and the man was able to notice her reaction.

The next minutes were a blur for Stacy. She sauntered out of the bedroom as a zombie and the elevator ride wasn't remembered. The blonde found herself in the hospital parking lot when her conscience returned.

The fear paralyzed her mind. The WWE Diva had never felt so scared. Something bad was about to happen - she sensed it - and Randy would be the responsible for it.

If the third-generation wrestler didn't wish to hurt her, he wouldn't have cancelled an autograph meeting to pick her up; to take her away from a precarious security. He could be smiling and being gentle and careful with her, but his body language didn't fool her. He was planning to chastise her.

Stacy's heart started beating faster. She had one last glimpse of Torrie before Randy turned on the vehicle. It was the first time they were spending time alone in a week. Nothing good would happen to her now that she was all alone with the beast.

- You messed up this time - the man spoke after seconds of silence with his eyes fixed on the road.

Fortunately, the Baltimore native didn't have to deal with his vicious gaze. One look was able to petrify her.

- I didn't do anything - Stacy mumbled between her teeth. This wasn't the moment to be brave. She was all alone with Randy and nothing could stop him from hurting her. No one was there to control his gestures.

Gradually, she turned her face to the window to hide her gloomy expression from him. All she desired was to go home and to be miles away from him. One more night and her wish would be fulfilled. Nevertheless, she believed not to be strong enough to survive one more night. The time spent at the hospital turned her soft and her emotional condition wasn't in its best shape.

- You and your lover-boy won't have the last laugh.

The threat was ignored by the blonde. It wasn't a bolt from the blue. Since she woke up, she had been waiting for the moment he would speak once again about the imaginary relationship between her and John.

That moment, Stacy noticed that he wasn't driving to the hotel; they had just passed by it and there were no intentions to stop. He was taking her somewhere else - a place where she unquestionably didn't want to be taken.

- Where are we going? - Stacy dared to ask. It was mistake to speak.

Randy extended his right arm in the blonde's direction and slapped her across the face. Her questions and behavior brought the savage side back. His dark expression revealed he clearly didn't have good intentions.

Stacy thought she was living in a hell. However, he was about to show her that she didn't have a clue of what hell was.

**xx-XX-xx-XX-xx**

His baby-blue eyes connected with the clock placed on the wall. The blonde with whom he agreed to meet was ten minutes late.

John took a sip from his drink. Since he received the call from the SmackDown Diva, he had been wondering about what she wished to converse with him. Last week, she sent him daggers by the eyes. It couldn't prevent himself from finding the request bizarre. He was convinced someone in his position would assume the same.

Someone approached from him and because of the heels clicking the cold floor John assumed it was the woman he was waiting for: Torrie Wilson.

- Do you want something to drink? - John asked before the honey blonde took a seat at his side.

It wasn't a social meeting for Torrie to have a drink with him - especially after all that talk about the hell he put her friend through. The only reason she asked the wrestler to meet was to find the truth.

- What is going on between you and Stacy? - Torrie went straight to the core of the matter that brought her to the dark bar. An answer had already been offered by her friend, but she wanted to make sure the stories matched before…

Before what? The honey blonde had no clue of what to do next. If the stories matched, it meant Stacy's aggressor was another man; a man she was clueless about. The identity could only be found when Stacy won courage to reveal it.

- Nothing. - It was a pathetic answer. They weren't romantically linked nor was he stalking her, as Torrie surely thought. However, they were bounded due to an outrageous true and to his humiliation he was powerless to help her.

Why was he helpless? Because Randy inverted the parts and he was now the wolf from the story. He was one hundred percent that he couldn't approach Stacy without someone threatening him or going to tell Randy about it. At least, she had his cell phone number or they wouldn't have any contact.

- If nothing is going on between you and Stacy, you certainly wouldn't have visited her at the hospital. - As far as she knew, John wasn't friends with the young woman. Until two weeks ago, Torrie had never listened to the name of the two people in question in the same sentence. - I'm not dumb

John was near from losing his grin. He was tired of the reproachful and askance gazes; he was tired of the whispers behind his back. If this was the reward from trying to do a good deed, he would never do one again. His life wasn't properly a bed of roses. Even his family seemed to doubt his blamelessness.

The best to do was to keep his mouth shut. Nonetheless, he agreed to meet this woman thinking she suspected about Randy and by her eyes John could tell she thought he was guilty. If there was a vaguely doubt inside her, Torrie hid it very well.

- For someone who says she isn't dumb you didn't put on the table the possibility of Randy being hitting Stacy and not me. I assure you that when your best friend started hiding bruises, I was far away.

When Stacy started hiding bruises, he was miles away. When Stacy started being beaten down every day, he wasn't expecting her to find her unconscious inside an elevator. Back then, he never thought his best friend was a monster.

- Randy? - Torrie stammered the name. Did John want her to believe Randy assaulted Stacy? The tall man missed an autograph session to pick his girlfriend at the hospital. He was so love and caring towards Stacy.

By the blonde's facial expression, John comprehended she didn't accept as true his words. She didn't consider Randy as the aggressor.

Shaking his head, John rose up from his seat. This woman made him lose his time. She was there to find the raw truth, but she didn't want to accept it. He had to be the villain from the story and not Randy, who was the devoted boyfriend.

- Did she already catch her flight? - John queried. It wouldn't be for long, but she would stay away from Randy for a couple of days and that was enough to make the wrestler to feel better. Only God knew how much he hated himself for not stopping Randy.

- I didn't take Stacy to the airport. Torrie explained to him. - Randy is going to take her tomorrow morning.

- Then try to see her tomorrow before she departs and you will see I'm not the one hurting her. - The current champion was cold, hiding his true feelings about the information revealed by Torrie.

The sun was shining when John walked out from the bar. The man couldn't deny: he was worried with Stacy's well-being. But, what could he do? Catch Randy in the act or turn his back and let Stacy on his former friend's hands? Without doubt he would turn out being the bad guy once again, but turning his back was a coward suggestion. She was unprotected.

His fingers ran through his short air. The decision was easy. The consequences were far from being positive.

When John opened the rented car's door, the cell phone in his jean's pocket started ringing. The unfamiliar number could belong to her.

- Hi - John answered. He listened to someone breathing from the other side of the line. Could it really be her? - Who is speaking?

- _He is trying to kill me._ - Her voice seemed affected. She spoke slowly and paused for a brief second before pronouncing the next word. It was clear she wasn't in power of her senses.

John felt angry with himself and with the desperate woman - why didn't she break up with the monster when the opportunity was offered? He shouldn't have left the hospital; he should have stayed there protecting her because no one else would do it - they thought he was the hazard, not Randy.

- Where are you?

- _In some motel…_- The call came to an end before Stacy revealed her exact location.

Without taking a second, John turned on the vehicle. There were many motels located in the area. Before he discovered her, Randy could fulfill his task. It would be too late to save and he would live with the guilt for the rest of his life.

The blue-eyed man obligated those thoughts to fly from his head.

John would find Stacy and when he put his hands on Randy this time no one would separate them as before. Hell would break loose.


	9. Unexpected Coincidences

**A/N**: Thank you **ChainGangHottieWithKillerLegs**, **my time is now**, ** therealchamps**, **Cena's baby doll** and **xthefirestillburns **for the reviews. First, I'm not fond of this chapter and for that same reason it took me more time to write than I expected. Second, one more chapter and this story will come to an end. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter and I'm sorry for the grammar mistakes. English isn't my first language.

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><p><strong>Never Alone<strong>

_Chapter Nine -_ Unexpected Coincidences

Grabbing her arm, Randy dragged Stacy all the way through the silent motel hall. No one saw them arriving, no one paid them any attention. The tall man stopped walking when they reached one of the doors. It took him mere seconds to open the locked door with the key he took from his pocket.

When the door was finally opened, Stacy was thrown against the bed. He shoved her hard, but luckily she hit a soft surface. Another broken rib was something undesirable for both of them. It wouldn't easy to explain to a doctor how another bone has been broken just two days after the blonde's medical discharge.

Stacy felt clueless; she didn't know what was going on, however, she sensed it couldn't be something good. Randy changed her flight without her permission and then he took her to an isolated motel.

For how long had he been planning to bring her to this place? The room was already rented when they arrived at the motel. Randy had the key with him and she suspected he may have asked someone else to pick the key up at the lobby hours, or days, ago.

His eyes met her body and Stacy felt a shrive running through it. The glance was pure evilness. The monster was unleashed, a monster she had never seen before, and she would be the victim.

Randy walked to the bathroom and the Diva was left alone in the bedroom. The man wasn't far away. He would listen to any move she did. If the door wasn't locked and he hadn't taken the key with him, Stacy would take a chance to free herself from the faithful destiny he was planning for her.

- Drink it. - The taller man handed a bottle of water half-full in the young woman's direction. Stacy raised her plucked eyebrow confused. A deadly glance warned the blonde not to disobey his orders. - Drink it now!

Her lips touched the content inside the bottle and then she swallowed it under his eyes. The liquid had a strange flavor. Randy must have mixed something with the water.

The third-generation wrestler waited for her to drink the last drop of water to speak again. A victorious smirk was etched across his face seconds after the water vanished inside her system.

- Do you know what you drank? - Whatever she drank was supposed to hurt her, the blonde assumed when saw the smirk he sent her. - I mixed the water with sleeping pills. Enough pills for you to have an overdose. No one will be here to save you.

He planned to murder her. He would make everyone think that she committed suicide and then he would walk away without suffering the consequences of his actions.

- You shouldn't have cheated on me with my best friend and you clearly shouldn't have fallen from the stairs. You messed up everything.

- I never cheated on you - the blonde whispered. The devil didn't listen to her.

Randy unzipped a duffel bag that he took from the closet. The blonde caught a glimpse of the bottle of pills and then saw him picking up a pen and a piece of paper.

The previous rational thoughts vanished. Stacy rose up from the bed and her legs slightly trembled when the feet touched the floor. The front door was locked and the key was inside's Randy pocket. She couldn't run away from the bedroom. The thought of escaping remembered her that it all started because she ran from him and ended up in John's bedroom.

- The pills will start taking effect at any minute. - The pills had already started taken effect. If he was watching her, he would see it. - Where do you want to be found? Lying on the bed or inside the bathtub?

The Devil on Earth twisted his body to see Stacy on her feet. Three steps later he was at her side and his hands grabbing a fist of her hair. He knew the gesture hurt her badly and it only increased his desire to hurt her. It was desire he needed to restrain or his plan wouldn't work.

- You are going to write a note to your parents. - His lips touched her ear and the poisonous whisper ran out from his mouth. His breath against her skin sent shivers through her body. - You don't want them to think their only daughter committed suicide without telling them goodbye?

Randy sat her down on the bed and handed her the paper and pen. Also, he gave her a paper with the words he wished her to write; two short sentences that weren't a proper goodbye.

Stacy stared at the pen. Maybe she had an opportunity to win time. It was a small opportunity, but she had one and it was all that mattered.

The man standing at her side didn't think for a moment she had a cell phone with her. He probably thought it was inside the suitcase or purse; however, she put it inside her jean's pocket. Only one moment was needed to call for help.

- Write it - the Legend Killer yelled at her. His hand was mere inches from her left elbow. As he did many other times before, he would twist her arm to hurt her and to force her to do as he pleased.

In an act of despair, the blonde nailed the pen in his hand. The flesh was pierced and blood ran from the deep wound. Stacy felt a nauseous sensation invading her when took noticed of her acts. She never thought one day she would find herself in a situation that she had to hurt another human being.

- You bitch!

She ran to the bathroom without looking back. The minutes she won couldn't be wasted. Closing the door, she leaned her body against it. Unfortunately, the door couldn't be locked and as soon as Randy got over the pain, he would get her.

There was only person who could help her. Someone who was aware of Randy's behavior and would believe her without hesitate. The piece of paper with his name was always with her. Without taking another second, Stacy dialed John's number and waited for him to answer it fast. Time wasn't on her side.

- _Hi._ - She tried to speak, but her voice failed. She was clueless of how many pills Randy diluted in the water. All she knew was that they were taking effect. - _Who is speaking?_

- He is trying to kill me. - She was starting to feel dizzy and the words were incoherent. The blonde hoped John understood it was her voice.

- _Where are you?_ - John's voice revealed that he was worried with her. He knew it was her with whom he was speaking.

- In some motel…- The call came to an end before Stacy could reveal her location. Her blurry vision realized the phone lost its connection.

The knob-door moved. The time was over. She couldn't try to call John one more time to give him the right location. Everything was lost.

Stacy hid the cell phone behind the water closet seconds before Randy walked into the room. A sadist smile was etched across his face. She took a quick glance at his hand and saw the blood running from the wound. It didn't seem it was hurting him at all.

A twist inside her stomach remembered Stacy that her boyfriend wasn't her only concern. Even if she ran away from him, the pills would end up taking her life. Maybe if she threw up, she would have more time to live. Without the pills inside her system, she would have a thin chance of surviving. At this point she had none. After all, John had no clue of where she was and he wouldn't arrive in time to help her; to save her.

She put two fingers inside her mouth, but before she could go ahead Randy stopped her from throwing up the pills. He twisted her arm as he wished to do before; however, he tried not to break it. A broken arm would take the attention from a suicide and the police would discover the truth.

- The bathtub it is. - With a simple gesture, he picked up the numb body and then placed it inside the bathtub without kindness. She was luck he hadn't broken her in pieces after piercing his hand with the pen.

The back of her head hit against the bathtub's edge. The blonde blinked her eyes when realized her vision was blurry. Few seconds after, she was dragged into the darkness.

When the Baltimore native regained the conscience for a split second, she felt the water touching her naked body. Randy had time to take off her clothes and to turn on the water tap while she was passed out.

A tear ran from her eye. After one of the many beatings he gave her, Stacy understood her life would be taken from Randy. Every day he weakened her with his brutal attacks and ruthless words. Nonetheless, Stacy didn't anticipate he would fake a suicide to save his skin.

Would someone believe she had courage to kill herself? Would people think she was selfish?

When Randy revealed his true character, her night outs with friends were reduced - if at least she hadn't accepted the invitation Lisa did to her nothing of this would be happening; the inferno she lived would still be a secret - and she hardly spoke with someone unless Randy allowed her to talk with them. Some doctor would diagnose a deep depression and her family and friends would have to accept as true that she put an end to her miserable life.

In the middle of the caused slumber, Stacy listened to her cell phone ringing. She tried to move her limbs, but they were paralyzed. The bathtub would be her grave.

The blonde eye's shut again. The cell phone was the last sound she heard.

From the other side of the line was a concerned Torrie Wilson. It was the third time she called Stacy and she hadn't had an answer. After John's words it was hard not to feel worried. The Raw Diva left with Randy hours ago and since that moment she hadn't been able to reach her.

It took her minutes to digest the younger man's words. He accused Randy of being Stacy's assaulter and not him as everyone thought because of the dark-haired man. What if Randy really was the person who hurt - and still hurts - Stacy? His concern could be just an act that fooled her and Stacy's parents.

John was nothing but nice when they met years ago. Nonetheless, Randy had been the same. The younger man never gave her reasons not to trust him until this day. Of course, she heard rumors that he had some anger issues; however, she didn't imagine the black-haired man hitting Stacy. But then after a lot of thinking she couldn't imagine John doing the same.

Also, Stacy assured her that John never hurt her. _"He didn't do anything,"_ the younger blonde told after the West Newbury native walked out the hospital bedroom almost two weeks ago.

Nonetheless, Torrie didn't comprehend the reason Stacy didn't reveal who her aggressor is. Why would she hide the aggressor's identity? She was in the middle of people who loved her; who cared about her. They would protect her from that person. Unless that person was one of them; Stacy wasn't surrounded by people who wanted her well-being.

If John had given her more time to speak with him...

Why did she show her disbelief? Seconds after the man walked out from the bar, the blonde followed him. A few more questions had to be done before he parted away. When she reached the outside, she saw John answering his cell phone before hurrying into the rented car. Whoever called didn't give him good news.

Torrie found herself stuck in a place no one wished to be. What was she going to do? The options weren't many, but it was hard to decide which one to choose. The SmakDown Diva was afraid of committing a dreadful error.

She took out from her purse a cell phone. If she was wrong neither Randy nor Stacy would forgive her for what she was about to do. The Idaho native would rather her best friend to be angry at her than beaten and suffering because she ignored the obvious.

The honey blonde waited impatiently for the call to be answered. What would she say? She was about to accuse Randy of assaulting a woman she considered a sister.

When the call was finally answered, Torrie didn't give time to the person from the other side to speak.

- My friend has been kidnapped by her ex-boyfriend. - No one had to know that Randy still was Stacy's boyfriend. It was an insignificant lie that or ruined her friendship with the Baltimore native or saved the life of the same woman. - I don't know to where he took her, but I'm afraid he is going to hurt her again.

**xx-XX-xx-XX-xx**

Until that moment, John Cena had never realized that a town could have so many motels. The buildings were spread all over the place. His search turned out being more difficult than he expected.

How would he find Stacy and Randy before something awful happened if he couldn't find the place where they were? Three motels had been visited by the man and he hadn't found the people he was searching for yet.

To be truthful, John never thought Randy would try to kill the young Diva. He did everything in his power to hide the truth and now he would throw it all away. The younger man blamed him for the bruises on Stacy's body and now he would murder her. What was the point of it?

Maybe the dark-haired man was trying to set him up. People judged him once after Randy's accusations. If John was found with a dead Stacy, people would blame him again. However, if Stacy was obligated to make the call, she would have given him the motel's name.

Those thoughts swiftly vanished from his mind. Stacy called him in an act desperation and not because Randy told her to do it.

Approaching another cheap motel, John's attention fell over a parked car. The black vehicle was familiar. He could swear he had seen it when passed by the hospital a couple of days ago to learn about Stacy's condition. No one shared information with him because the blonde's family and boyfriend were with her in the bedroom.

It was a hypothesis very remote, but the car could belong to Randy. John stopped his car beside the black vehicle. No one was inside it.

An odd feeling told him he was in the right place. But how would he find the right bedroom in time? Stacy's voice was very weak. She couldn't last longer without help.

Stepping out of the vehicle, John quickly paced to the reception. A man was sat behind reception desk and he was far from being amused with his task. The West Newbury born hoped he wouldn't give him problems. He already was in troubles because of the accusations made against him and threatening this man would make his situation worse.

- Hi, I'm searching for my friends. - The man removed his eyes from the newspaper and faced John, - They told me to meet them here, but they forgot me to tell me in which room they are staying. My cell phone doesn't have battery and I can't call them asking.

- Today only three rooms are rented. - Slowly, he told John the numbers of the rooms occupied. - Try not to bother my guests.

John rushed out the reception and started his desperate search. He never thought about murdering someone. Nonetheless, he was certain Randy wouldn't choose the bedroom closest to the reception. Someone could listen to him after all and to stop Stacy's assassination. Climbing the stairs, John found himself walking to the most isolated bedroom.

The blue-eyed man knocked at the door. No one answered it. One more time he knocked at the door and once again he didn't receive an answer. John ran his fingers through his short hair. There was only option left and it clearly wasn't to turn his back and to check the last bedroom. With his salary, he certainly could pay for one a new door.

He crashed his shoulder against the door. Nothing happened. It took him a few more attempts until he broke the door. He burst into the bedroom to find it empty. Nonetheless, the creased blanket showed someone has been there recently.

On top of the blanket, John saw a piece of paper. When his fingers picked it up, he was taken aback by the message: _"I'm sorry. I love you all". _The handwriting was recognizable and John understood it belonged to Randy.

On the floor he saw another piece of paper and a bloody pen - the blood still was fresh. He bent down and read the incomplete note: _"I'm sor…". _This handwriting could only belong to the beaten girlfriend.

When John reached the bathroom, he found an unconscious Stacy inside the bathtub. The water tap was turned on and the blonde's body was covered by the icy liquid until her neck.

Without taking a second to fathom the dreadful scene surrounding him, the wrestler approached from the bathtub and took Stacy out of there.

With the woman in his arms, he held her closely and transported her to the bedroom. His first instinct was to cover her cold body. He didn't know if she still was breathing or not.

There wasn't much he could do. Without taking another second, the wrestler called an ambulance and prayed for the woman in his arms to survive.

- You shouldn't be here. - The familiar voice was heard by John. The killer still was around to make sure his prey was dead. He could only walk away after being one hundred percent certain that Stacy couldn't return to haunt him.

John turned around his face to see Randy standing near the bedroom door. By the look in his eyes, the blue-eyed man understood the other man wasn't expecting his presence.

- Why? Are you going to try murder me too?

- None of this would happen if you had stayed away. - It was the reality. If John didn't dig the truth everything would be okay. If John hadn't taken Stacy from him everything would be okay.

The dark-haired man gave a step to get closer of John and Stacy. The Massachusetts native moved away from the unconscious blonde carefully. If Randy wanted his girlfriend, he would have to pass by him. It wouldn't be an effortless task.

- Don't give one more step - John warned the other man. He was avoiding physical contact between them. Nonetheless, Randy didn't seem to wish the same. He wanted to fight.

The third-generation superstar planned to turn tables once again and to walk away as the heartbroken boyfriend that didn't appear in time to save Stacy from John's hands. No one would believe John was innocent when they thought he harassed and beat the blonde. Randy didn't know how John appeared, but he was glad he did.

- Why Johnny boy? - The devil gave one more step. - What are you going to do?

John Cena wasn't Stacy, the woman Randy brutally assaulted without mercy. Right now, he would finish what Randy started when punched him after Stacy was rushed to the hospital.

The current WWE champion was the first to make a move. His fist connected with Randy's jaw. Nevertheless, Randy didn't take a second to regain his posture and attacked John right away. Objects weren't broken and punches delivered.

The infernal sound didn't bring Stacy back to the light. Her livid body was locked in the dark.

They flew out of the bedroom. Under the sunlight the fight wasn't private anymore. Someone could show up at any moment and to separate them.

John's back hit against the banister. Randy's intentions were clear: he wanted him to fall and to crash against the concrete or a parked car. He pushed Randy away to try to avoid the faithful fall.

The younger man tripped when John obligated him to give a step behind. The floor disappeared and Randy found himself falling. Unfortunately, he was grabbing John's shirt and obligated the other to fall with him. The two men rolled down the stairs. The sound of bones cracking was the only sound heard for a brief second.

As the two wrestler stood motionless on the floor sirens approached from the motel.


	10. The Light Behind The Darkness

**A/N: **And the final chapter is here! Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed this story. Your reviews were - and still are - very important and I'm surprise with the number of hits this story has. Maybe this isn't the best end, but I hope you like it. I wrote it a few weeks ago. Now that this story is over and I took this idea out of my head, I'm going to give attention to my other stories and hopefully I'll finish them too.

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><p><strong>Never Alone<strong>

_Chapter Ten -_ The Light Behind The Darkness

Light and darkness, two perfect antitheses. It was dark outside, but the light from the bedside lamp illuminated the hospital bedroom. A clock showed it was after midnight. Lying on the bed, Stacy felt her exhausted body begging for sleep. However, but her mind obligated her to stay awake.

Inhaling a deep and long breath, the blonde woman closed the eyes. It was after midnight. She feared this day - she always feared it. Seven years ago Randy Orton tried to murder her. He planned her murder and after he was done with her everyone would think she committed suicide.

Her last memory from that day was being inside a bathtub and her body refused to move. She couldn't get out. A cell phone rang, but she never answered it. Under the circumstances it was a difficult task.

That same day she woke up at night, feeling extremely fatigued. The blonde quickly realized where she was. It was the exact hospital she had left that morning. Tears fell from her eyes. She was alive. Randy didn't win, he didn't take her life.

And then she saw him sat on a chair.

"_- Don't cry - John said, tilting his body to be near the bed's edge: to be near her. Tears still made him feel uncomfortable, but these tears didn't. After everything Stacy has gone thought, she had the right to cry and he didn't mind being there at her side. _

_- What are you doing here? - She was surprised with his presence._

_A week ago John was forbidden of being at her side and now he was in the same room as she without surveillance. Maybe it meant Randy has been caught, he finally was unmasked. Everyone knew he was the bad guy and not John. A scintilla of hope grew inside Stacy's heart. She was free. _

_- I can't leave the hospital until tomorrow morning. The doctors want me around because I hit my head. They are afraid of a concussion. _

_- A concussion? _

_She didn't know he arrived on time. She didn't know he has been there to take her out of the bathtub. She didn't know he stopped Randy. So much had happened while she was unconscious and she wasn't aware of it. _

_- Don't get angry at me, but I saw you naked. - The environment inside the bedroom was dark. A little joke couldn't hurt anyone. And at the same time it would reveal to Stacy that he had been there for her. _

_She laughed when listened to his answer. John Cena saved her. A total stranger - they have been presented, but they weren't close and didn't change conversations - saved her from Randy's claws. If it wasn't him, she would be dead. _

_- Why did you go? - John furrowed his eyebrows, confused with the question. - I mean, why did you go to the motel? I was a total bitch to you. I pushed you away, I ordered you not to get closer of me. I never treated someone as badly as I treated you. _

_- I will give you the same response I gave you weeks ago: it was the right thing to do. - It was the only answer he had. Randy was his best friend and he revealed the person he truly was because he felt he had to. The right thing to do was to protect Stacy and not to ignore his friend's brutal attacks against her. _

_- What happened to him? - Her lips refused to pronounce his name. She wouldn't be his girlfriend anymore. A wave of relief hit her body. She was free! _

_- Why don't you sleep? We can talk about him tomorrow." _

As he promised, John spoke with her about Randy's fate the following day. Death would be too good for him. His death would make Stacy's recovery easier. With the monster buried six feet underground, Stacy's fears would come to an end. However, he was still alive and lying in a hospital bed in a coma.

When Randy and John rolled down the motel stairs, his head crashed against the concrete. A puddle of blood surrounded him when the ambulance arrived. He was taken to the hospital and after a few exams the medical staff announced that he was in a coma. All the doctors could do was to heal the broken arm. No one knew when he would wake up. And if he ever did he would be thrown into jail.

Torrie visited her that same day, feeling bad with herself for not seeing the truth - no one saw it; John only saw because she told him it unintentionally and then he decided to dig it. Stacy understood it was Torrie who called her while she was dying in the bathtub. Also, the honey blonde had called for help and it was the main reason why the ambulance reached the motel so soon and it was accompanied by police officers.

Whist at the hospital, Stacy found herself wanting to leave WWE. The idea was pushed aside, but when she saw the pity glances and how nice everyone was being with her, Stacy decided it was better to leave. She didn't need to be remembered every day of what happened by the others; she already remembered herself about it every time she woke up.

Also, some people had doubts, they weren't sure of Randy's true nature, and she didn't deserve to deal with them. The blonde waited for her contract to expire and then walked away from the business. Nonetheless, she would always be bounded to it.

- I thought you would be sleeping - the man's voice stole Stacy's attention. He brought her back from that same day seven years ago. Since then he has always been with her.

A smile flourished on Stacy's lips when she saw John standing at the door. Things changed between them over the years. They went from strangers to lovers. Who thought they would have ended together? Who thought they would marry each other?

Stacy hated Randy with all her heart, but at least he did something good to her: he put John in her life.

- Hey. What are you doing here at this hour? - Visits weren't allowed after eight o'clock. Even if John was allowed to be with her even after, or before, the visits schedule it was too late for someone to let him enter.

The wrestler took a seat near Stacy, his wife of two years, on the bed's edge. He still had his charm and it was easy to convince a nurse to let him enter. John was aware of how much this day affected Stacy and it was better not to leave her alone - even if she wasn't really alone.

- I came to see you.

It took her more than a year and half to have courage to jump into another relationship - without therapy, relationships and falling in love would be out of question for the blonde. Randy didn't show his true side until they were in a serious relationship and she was afraid of committing the same mistake. One time has been enough. She didn't wish to go through the same all over again.

John was the first in queue to ask her out when she felt it was time to give love a second opportunity. He didn't see her just as a person he felt obligated to save anymore. Over a year and half, he was always there for her. All those times he showed up to talk, to take her out of her lair changed their relation.

He became a close friend; however, she never imagined he would see her under a different light. Why would the blue-eyed man want a woman so messed up as her? Why did he want to pick up the pieces? He could find a woman that didn't carry the baggage she did. However, he chose her.

Stacy felt scared when went out with him for the first time. John was a gentleman, yet her mind always reminded her how a nice and sweet Randy turned in a monster. Those memories weren't easy to forget. She hated herself for thinking John would turn into one too, especially after the sacrifices he did for her. Seven years ago he was a few inches away of losing his dream job because he wished to do the right thing and to unmask Randy.

It took her many dates and cell phone conversations to finally let him kiss her. She hated herself for being so pathetic, but she couldn't help it.

It took her time to let him enter in her bedroom; after one year of dating she let him in. The scars that her old boyfriend inflicted were hard to heal and they would always haunt her.

As hard as it was to admit, Randy raped her when they were a couple. She was too scared to push him away because he would hit her if she tried to do it. Her motionless body let him do whatever he wished, but her mind fought to scream and to order him to stop. He touched her without her authorization.

Why the Massachusetts native fell for her, the blonde couldn't tell. She did have her beauty back - she didn't appear a ghost anymore and she hadn't to hide her features and black circles under tons of make-up anymore. However, beauty wasn't enough to maintain a relationship. Shallow relationships never worked.

After a while, she stopped caring about the reason he loved her. She was glad he fell for her because with him she found a kind of happiness Randy stole from her. She loved again and it was something she never thought to be possible.

The reason she fell for him, wasn't easy to tell either. Over months, John was a constant presence in her life and until the day he asked her out she never imagined they could be more than friends. It was then she realized that had growing feelings for him. Of course, she initially thought those feelings were related with the gratitude for his help and friendship, however, after one date she understood she was falling for the person he was.

- She is beautiful - John spoke. The baby girl that has been sleeping in her arms was the center of attentions. The newborn shouldn't be here.

Weeks after being discharged from the hospital, Stacy received appalling news. All the times Randy forced himself on her hurt her not only mentally, but physically. Her womb could hardly carry a pregnancy until the end. That day the former WWE Diva realized a child was important for her and Randy may have stolen from her the opportunity of being a mother.

When John proposed, the blonde had to reveal it - it was something painful to do. He still wanted to marry her when she revealed the truth. They had a slight chance of becoming parents. The baby in her arms was evidence of a miracle.

Destiny loved to play with Stacy. One day before the anniversary of the attack her daughter was born. Maybe it was a sign that better things are to come and it is time to move on from the past. The future ahead would bring more smiles than tears.

A family was John's reward for helping her, for believing her words, for fighting Randy when no-one else did because they were tangled in his act.

Of course, the West Newbury born never expected he and Stacy would end up together. They became good friends indeed. Nevertheless, it was a long way between a friendship and a relationship. He didn't know how it happened, it was unexpected. One day he just saw her as more than a friend. One day he stared at the blonde and found himself falling for her.

- Did you think of a name? - He did suggest some names, but Stacy was never fond of them. The choice was going to be hers and he would be fine with it - even if he wasn't very pleased.

- Hope - Stacy responded right away. When the newborn was placed in her arms for the first time, she realized the name of her daughter. Many wouldn't like the name, but it had a special meaning for her.

- Why Hope?

- Because there is always hope and I don't want her to forget it as I did.

His fingers ran through her blonde hair. The scars of Randy's vicious behavior were still inside her. Seven years may have spent since she was thrown into an overwhelming spiral, but the scars had survived and would always be inside her to remember the hell she had been through for months.

- Why are you crying? - He got used to it. Her tears didn't make him want to run away. He would stand at her side and to dry them. Seven years certainly changed him.

- Why did you help me? - Every year she did that question. John hoped in the future Stacy wouldn't remember this day. It had to turn out in a regular day and to stop being an occasion of tears and fear.

- Because it was the right thing to do. - His thumbs cleaned the droplets of water falling from Stacy's eyes. The answer would never change. - And I would do it again if I had to.

- I felt so alone back then. I couldn't speak with my friends; I had to keep everyone away from me. She took a deep breath. - I was alone.

He lifted her chain with his fingers. The blue eyes met the hazel eyes and then he placed a soft kiss on her lips. His kisses shoved away all the kisses Randy dropped on her lips. She couldn't remember them anymore.

- You will never be alone. - It was true. She would never be alone again. She had John and a lovely baby-girl. She was a wife and mother. No matter what happened, she would never be alone.

Carefully, John lie at the blonde's side - he didn't want to wake up the young baby. Stacy snuggled her body against his. The baby was still sleeping, she hadn't moved once.

Nearly seven years ago, she went to hell and returned - John was the person who pulled her out it and back then he was a just stranger. After the nightmare she was put through, Stacy was blessed with a family; she was blessed with someone who wouldn't put her through the same pain her ex-boyfriend did.

- Never alone - Stacy whispered, feeling the truth of those words. John was at her side; Hope was serenely sleeping in her arms. She would never be alone.

**THE END**


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